翼を望む物:Those Who Wish For Wings
by Malicious Shadows
Summary: What does it really mean to be free? To have fun, to live? Tsuna doesn't know. How can he when he's spent most of his life indoors? He only wants to know the outside. So when he meets a terrifying man from the time he was free, how will he respond? 1827
1. What it means to be caged

Hi, name's Nalix

I'm a complete 1827 fan and love Reborn!

This is the first story that I've actually decided to continue so if it sucks, please... Spare me from the flames...

Disclaimer: I do not own Reborn!, or Tsuna (XD), or Hibari (X0X). I only own this plot. Besides, if I DID own Reborn, TYL Tsuna would've shown his no-doubt-gorgeous face already!!!

* * *

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

Darkness.

My consciousness is wavering.

No sanctuary from the pain within my body as it slowly tries to recover, but fails miserably.

"-una! Tsuna!!"

Mom?

"Don't give up! Be Strong!!"

How? How am I supposed to be strong? How am I supposed to prevail over this grief?

_*bud-dum*_

And the pain within grows and lessens for every breath I take in.

_*bud-dum*_

No way for me to run, to escape the forsaken feeling.

_*bud-dum*_

"Tsuna?"

I'm fine. I'll recover like before. Right?

_*bud-dum*_

"Please! You can win this…"

Slowly, my thoughts drift off into the blissful shadows in my mind as the torturous agony leaves. For now.

_*bud-dum*_

"I- I'm… fine… don't worry… mom…"

Black.

* * *

My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, age 16, and I am not what you would call a normal.

Ever since I was a small kid, I've had frequent visits to the hospital. I took medications everyday and was kept inside the house for most of my childhood. Everyone around me considered me "delicate" and "fragile", which all comes to a conclusion of me being **weak**. Weak? Perhaps. I'm bound to a life of IV's and never ending checkups, so maybe I am dependent on others. But at least I am willing to accept it. Willing to accept my end.

My condition is nothing extraordinary. It can even be considered boring, well, I think it is anyway. There are thousands of others out there who are in worse predicaments than I am without any medical care. _Sigh_ If only the government gave a damn, then those people might actually be saved. Better them than someone as useless as me.

I, on the other hand, am ill fated with a pathetically weak heart. A heart that is unable to continue beating without the assistance of machines and medicines, while I'm forever stuck in a bed because of it. I can't do any strenuous activity, can't go to school, and can't live a normal life.

I hate it.

I hate this heart and this sad excuse of a body that renders me useless.

I can't stand not being able to be free. To not be able to go outside and have fun with other people. To be under constant supervision.

It would be so great to have unbound wings.

I don't have that freedom. It was stripped from me when I was given my existence. All I can do is envy those who have theirs. Not that I do, of course. No one can do anything about it so I try not to think about those kinds of negative emotions.

Key word is "try". I fail from time to time. It's a rare thing though.

It's kinda pitiful, really. At the rate I'm going, I won't live till I'm 20. Hell, the doctors reckon that I'll be off to that afterlife by 18. Two more years. _shrug_ Oh well. It's gonna happen sooner or later anyways. I can't be saved, not with medicine or money.

Even though my parents have the cash to support me with.

No, it's not like we're filthy rich, just on the more well off side. My father works for some big shot company and is somewhere higher up. Don't know the details though. He never talks about it to me, even when I ask. Mom says that he's sick of work as it is and doesn't want to talk about it even more, though I have a different opinion. It's complicated.

But even with the money, they can't fix me. Apparently, my body is very, I don't know, "special". Not to brag or anything, but it's structure and blood type is "unique" and it's really hard to match it up to someone else. So, they can't find a heart to replace mine with. Sucks, doesn't it?

At least my parents care, albeit a bit too much, but I do love them. I even have a few friends from when I was younger who come visit me a couple times a week. I love it when they visit me so they can talk to me about their lives in the real world.

So I'm okay with my situation and not depressed or anything. Hell, I DO NOT want to end up being a whiny, foolish idiot that's wrapped up in self-pity. God, if that ever happened, may I be stuck by lightening. Or maybe even a stray, high dose immobilization syringe. Hey, it _can_ happen, you know. Especially with my luck, which tends to get me in trouble sometimes.

But even with my happiness of being with the ones I care about, I still can't but help but feel that I'm missing something. Something important, like a vital piece of life that will guarantee that I can die in peace and, well, satisfaction. I can't explain it but it feels like a painful longing for something. I doubt I'll find that thing at the rate I'm going through life though.

My hope is that maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to pass on without any tragedy. I understand that my parents will be devastated and my friends might cry when I die. There are no "if's" in my case so it's pretty much guaranteed. But I don't want them to make them feel bad so I want to show them that I truly do appreciate them.

But I wish for one slightly selfish luxury.

…Let me die, without any regrets.

No matter what may happen or come to be, the life I want to fulfill must not end without knowing if I lived to the fullest.

…And that is all I've ever wanted…

* * *

White walls.

White ceiling.

White curtains and windows with nothing interesting outside.

That is what I'm always surrounded in when I'm visited by anyone. Like now.

"Oi Tsuna!! You all right? I heard you had a pretty serious attack yesterday."

"Shut up! You have no right to speak to Juudaime!! Juudaime, now that I am here, I shall tend to your needs!!"

At the doorway stood two guys. One had a notable figure of an athlete with black hair and a large smile with kind eyes. The other, a slightly scary looking person supporting a scowl on his face with silver locks adorning it.

I smiled at my two best friends.

"Hey. There's nothing to worry about here. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine." I reassured them, nodding to the machines around me to indicate my current status.

Two sighs of relief echoed in the room. "Geeze Tsuna. Don't make it sound like it's nothing when it's obviously not. You know that we get worried." The taller pointed out with eyes full of sadness.

My heart pained at the look. "I'm sorry Yamamoto. But really, it's nothing. I'm still alive and that's what counts, right?" The look directed at me stated otherwise. "-_sigh_ Oh give me a break. I've got state of the art equipment around me to help me. Gokudera-kun can assure you that. Right, Gokudera-kun?"

The other man looking around in distaste at the room perked up at the mention of his name. "Of course!! Juudaime deserves nothing but the best of the things!! If they weren't, the fools controlling this place will have to go through me!!" The look of pride shone brightly, making both Yamamoto and I laugh at his antics.

"So, how was your day? School?" I looked at both of them with anticipation. Life outside of these walls is just so fascinating.

"Well, we did some new stuff in Japanese today, the_ HyakuninIsshu._ I accidentally slept through the lecture though, practice today was pretty early so I just conked out."

"You fool! You should've stayed awake just so you could explain it all to Juudaime!! You see Juudaime, the _HyakuninIsshu_ are a hundred songs in the poetic format of haiku, that was chosen by th-"

"Err… It's okay Gokudera-kun. You don't have to push yourself." The gleam in his eyes was shining at a full 100%, indicating that he was about to go into lecture mode. s_hudder _School work from Gokudera-kun is never-ending. Something I learned the hard way.

"So… how was baseball practice, Yamamoto?"

* * *

Wandering around the hospital was one of my favorite pastimes.

Seeing as how difficult (as in, just plain stubborn) I got when I was confined to my room, the nurses let me walk around the hospital from time to time. It allowed me to look out of larger windows and see other people in other sections of the hospital or people from "the outside". Dragging the IV behind me, I started for the children's ward on the 4th floor.

"TSUNA"-NII!!!!!"

…Oww…

That might've ruptured an eardrum…

"Lambo, Fuuta, how are you today?" A mass of black curls skidded to a stop in front of me, followed by a young boy with brown hair.

"Tsuna~! Lambo-san was awesome today. Lambo-san listened to the nurses once today. Lambo-san was good so give me candy!" Cue the grape candies from my mother. The 5-year-old boy in cowprint quickly snatched the bag out of my hands. "Hyahaa!! Lambo-san is gonna eat all of them!!"

"No Lambo, you have to be nice and share with the other kids, right Tsuna-nii!?" The brunette smiled up at me with a wide look in his eyes, clearly showing his displeasure at Lambo's actions.

Instantly being affected by the puppy dog eyes, I answered, "Th- that's right Lambo, you have to share. If you're a good boy, then I'll bring even more candy next time."

"Really? Even MORE candy?" The boy questioned. "Yes Lambo, more. Now hand over that bag." My hand reached for the bag the boy had tried and failed to hide behind his back.

In the end, the idea of more candy (correction; a dentist's nightmare) tempted him and he relinquished the grape flavored gems of sugar. "Fine, Lambo-san is fine with that. But if you don't have more next time, Lambo-san will beat you up!! Because Lambo-san is the greatest!!"

With that said, the boy took off in direction off his room laughing in what I think he believes to be "greatness". Such a strange child. His problem is even stranger. A couple months ago, he had a minor shock from coming in contact with a broken electric outlet. Now, he suffers from spasms, due to the failure in his nervous system.

"Well Tsuna-nii? Are you okay? I know you had an attack yesterday. You were in 1st place for 'most likely for heart failure in this hospital'…"

I blinked and turned towards the other child. "I'm fine Fuuta, can't you tell? And how did you know about the heart failu-… Nevermind. I already know…"

This kid in front of me is a genius. With some well noted problems. Fuuta has a small mental condition that makes him understand everything and thus, "rank" them. His ability to comprehend is far older than his age. However, this causes some parts of his brain to not function as well as the mental thinking part, like say, his digestive system. He suffers; let's leave it at that.

Looking at the boy, I asked, "Do you know when I-pin's being transferred? I really want to give her something before she leaves…"

Brown eyes grew sad at the question. "I'm pretty sure it's in the next week or two. I-pin isn't aware of it though, so don't tell her, okay Tsuna-nii?"

I sighed. "Of course I won't. I think she should know but since you insist, I won't. I'll promise you that, Fuuta…"

* * *

"He's coming today!"

"Seriously? Get moving! We must prepare for his arrival!!"

The scene that I arrived upon when walking down the hallways was a jumble of nurses running this way and that as if trying to do everything at once. Curious, I stopped a nurse and asked why they were in such a rush.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you, and I really need to get back to work and make everything…" _sigh_ "'Perfect.'" Then she ran off without even a glance, and started scrubbing the floor with a rag that no one in their right mind would touch.

Something is going on. Again.

Truth be told, I've seen the nurses in this state a couple times before. Then again, I was always confined to my room soon after they saw me, so I've never witnessed what caused the people so much stress. I kinda felt bad for them, having to do such… "work".

I quickly moved to a small corner to avoid the nurses, knowing that they'll trap me in my room again. For ten minutes, I was standing as silent as possible and boredom started to get to me. But after those ten minutes, I was rewarded my prize as the hospital doors burst open.

The looks on the nurses' faces were priceless.

Who knew their faces could look like that?

Looking towards the doors, I saw two people, one I recognized as the hospital director (more like dictator…) and the other- wait… Have I met him before? There at the doorway was a young, black haired man with a noticeable scowl decorating his face and the aura given off him was murderous. I shrank back in fear and confusion. This man was dangerous and yet, I felt like I knew him… Weird.

They started striding towards the nurses, the older glancing at the walls and floor in the process with looks of disgust. The head of nurses walked up to meet them shaking, obviously not from the temperature. "M-mr. Haneda, I am ho-honored with y-your presence. What c-can I do f-for you today…?"

The man in question looked at the woman in a contemptuous manner. "Hmph. I am only here to see whether you people are doing your job correctly. Don't mind us. We're only going to look around for a while. Continue what you were doing." The nurses nodded in understanding and the director (dictator, I say!!) stalked past her, the younger man following.

The nurses visibly deflated in relief. "Oh and by the way…" Scratch that, they became even more agitated. "This is my nephew. You will treat him as you would treat me, understood?" Tight nods of comprehension passed through the women present. "Good. Now bring us our coffee. That is all." And with that, the two "terrorists" left.

"…We're alive…" A young nurse sighed in relief.

"…Not unless we do as they asked. Someone get them the coffee pronto, or risk us all of our jobs!!" Soon after that was stated, they all started running off in all directions, some to get the coffee, others leaving to tend to the patients while the rest continued with the janitor work.

And silently, I crept away, thinking over what the heck had just happened.

* * *

That man…

I knew him, right?

But from where? How would I know him?

And _why_ would I know such a dangerous person?

These questions plagued my mind as I aimlessly wandered the building. Passing the doorways of other patients, conversations of happiness, joy, and news of release rang out. Friends and family, gathered to celebrate with one another to cherish the health of someone they love.

…Damn. I'm in the freaking clearance zone.

Stopping at the doorway of a particularly festive room, I looked inside to see several people crowded around a person who appears to have just been cleared. The smiles plastered on the faces of the people present, were endearing. Laughter rang throughout the white room as the people gathered enjoyed the presence of each other. A portrait of a moment of pure happiness.

Dejectedly, I stood by the door, admiring the people within. Clearance. That is something that I'll never be given. I've been here long enough to know that.

I continued walking down the hallway, thinking about what it would be like to be free from this hellhole. It would be nice to not have to be stuck under constant supervision and be a normal kid, but that impossible. I can't get that OK signal. I have nothing and don't know anything.

I don't even know anyone outside of this hospital anyways. Yamamoto and Gokudera, I met based on coincidence. Gokudera knows someone in the hospital and had a reason to come here often even before meeting me. Yamamoto had been in an accident and I just happened to stumble across him while on my usual strolls around the hospital.

…I wish I could go outside.

Mulling over these thoughts, I didn't notice the person I walked into until it was to late.

"…Ow…!" Looking up from the floor, my eyes widened. There in front of me, was the young man from earlier, the Hospital Director's nephew.

"…"

The look on his face was one of annoyance and the glare directed at me left me fearful for my safety. Not to mention my mental condition.

"…Um… Sorry?" I squeaked out. As he quickly took in my appearance, the annoyance on his face grew.

"…You dare to disturb the order of this hospital by disturbing me?" The aura surrounding him turned darker and I swear that I saw something move within his shadows. Quickly, I stood up, bowed my head in apology and tried to leave.

"…Where do you think you're going?" I froze, not daring to look back. "I have yet to teach you your lesson…" Sharp footsteps came towards my direction and stopped right behind me. "… Now, what do you say?"

Rigidly, I stuttered, "…I-I'm really sorry..."

The man behind me tsked. "That is no way to apologize for one's misdoings. Apologize in a correct manner. Or else." The order was clear. Turning around to face him, I looked up at him with fear radiating off of me, muttering, "…I-I sincerely apologize f-for walking into y-you…"

The gaze that held me in place was powerful and I noticed how scary and yet, attractive he looked. After mumbling my words, the man smirked though his gray orbs remained cold. Then, before my very eyes, it changed to that of…

Is that Confusion?

"…Do I know you?"

The question took me completely by surprise, and I could only shake my head stupidly. "N-no. I d-don't think so. I-I haven't been outside the hospital in a long time."

And with that, I fled, leaving behind the handsome, dangerous man.

* * *

When I finally got back to my room, I was out of breath. Walking towards my bed, I wished for rest. Sadly, I didn't get it as soon as I thought I could.

"Where have you BEEN?! You were supposed to have taken you medication half an hour ago! Do you WANT your privileges to be banned?!?!" The nurse in charge of me rushed me towards the direction of the bed where the pills awaited me. "Don't EVER be gone for that long again, understood?" I nodded.

"… I'm sorry Miss Hasegawa…"

Said nurse sighed in exasperation. "Just… Just don't be gone for so long." Turning towards her, I smiled. "Thanks. Really."

"Whatever. Now swallow."

The numerous amounts of pills I had to take were easily consumed and I decided to ask the woman the question nagging me.

"Who was the person with the Dicta-Director?"

At my mistake, the nurse grinned. "Just call him that. Everyone does." Her eyes scanned the screens of the machines around me to double-check my condition. "And the boy with him is his nephew."

"I know. I was there, hiding in the corner." I confessed and shrank back at the look Miss Hasegawa sent my way. "…Do you know his name?"

She nodded. "Yup. I'm pretty sure it's something like Hibari Kyoya. As in a skylark. Hah! Can you believe it?" With her work done, she started walking towards the doors. "Oh, and try to stay away from him. He's… Well, let's just say he's not exactly the nicest person around. Well, see ya!" And with that, she quietly closed the dull white door behing her, leaving me alone.

Glancing out the windows, I returned to the questions that refused to leave my mind.

"Hibari Kyoya. Who is he…?"

TBC…

* * *

Ummm.....

Yeah.

Hoped you like it?

Please give me some constructive criticism. I really want to get better so please give me some advice.

So please Review!!


	2. Chained in ways that are unseen

Sooo… Since people have been asking WHY Gokudera still calls Tsuna Juudaime, I'm telling you now that it'll be in the story later on. But the main reason is because I just like how Gokudera acts like an idiot being Tsuna's Right Hand Man. XD (shot)

Err…. Yeah. You've gotta admit, he's so funny!!!

Also, yes, Tsuna (and everyone else) will curse. Tsuna, obviously, will not cuss that much but Gokudera... Well... Yeah. That's the reason why this FanFic is rated T (oh and cuz of some of the fluff 1827XD and maybe if I get enough plot bunnies, 8059 XP). You've been warned.

Thank you to all of the people who reviewed!!! It made me feel all happy inside. =D

Disclaimer: I do not own. Wish I did. HIBARI~!!!!! XD I also don't own the beep test. If I did, it never would've existed.

Have yet to get a Beta so sorry if it gets crappy at some places. But please, no flamers.

* * *

If there was one thing that I could not bear for my life, it was my monthly 10m beep test. Why? you might ask. Well, lets take a look at my physical prowess, shall we?

Short.

Thin.

Small with no muscle.

Has never done a sport in his life.

Owns a REALLY weak heart that is in terrible shape, much less support me while I run.

So if I were to have to jog even 10 meters every time the stupid machine went *beep*, I wouldn't last long.

Sure, I've done this test for, what? the past couple months? But all it's done was leave me exhausted and humiliated with Lambo at the sidelines, screaming his lungs out with obscenities.

I didn't get the point of these fitness tests. The doctors told me it was "rehab" or "physical activities to gain more strength", but it hasn't been any help and besides, it's not like I need the extra muscle it I'm kept indoors all the time. If they want me to "be fit" can't they at least take me outside? Sheesh. What are those higher up idiots thinking?!

*ding-dong-dang-dong* *Bong* *bong* *bong* *bong* = Four O'clock.

Damn. 20 more minutes.

Quickly looking around my surroundings, I checked for any signs of movement. Seeing none, I ran towards the door and slipped out, hoping not to be seen. An eerily quiet hallway greeted me with no one around to come get me.

"umm... hello?"

*........................*

Victory!!

Considering that it would be stupid to go anywhere near the younger kids or the busier section of the hospital and opting to go to the roof, I scampered and hid to the best of my ability, all the while making sure that no one could find me. And considering the fact that a person has yet to see me (or the other way around), my lucky streak today MUST be in a good zone. Which is saying something considering all the bad luck I usually have to put up with.

With the staircase to the roof just in front of me, I double checked the area and dashed for the top. Soon, the calm winds of the outdoors greeted me, the scenery of the 7th floor welcoming my presence. The cool temperature brushed against my pale skin as I gazed over the railing into the center of the town.

April was such an interesting month. The hustle of new students rushing to go places, mothers racing to get in front of the mobs of clearance sales, and the feeling of spring's complete return. A middle school student staring at a dress on display, children laughing about as they headed to the park, a couple talking and smiling while enjoying their time together.

A sigh of wistfulness escaped me as I continued to examine the lives of the people outside. Taking a seat and lying against the rails, I stared at the clear blue sky, in total harmony with nature. The peace was so ni-...

"JUUDAIME!!!"

I jumped.

Oh well. Forget about the peace.

I opened my eyes to see my two friends at the doorway, smiling. Well, not in the case of the stormy one.

"Hey guys. I didn't expect you guys to come here so soon. Don't you have anything better to do? You don't have to come here all the time just for me."

"Not at all, Juudaime! It is my honor to come here and keep you company! I would come everyday if I had my way, but that bastard-perv Shamal won't friggin' let me! If I could, I'd destroy that fuckin' feminist doctor into oblivi-"

"Woah, take it easy there with the colorful language there, Gokudera. Who knows who might be listening."

"...And I should care, why!?"

"Cuz we're visiting Tsuna and at the rate you're going, your visiting rights might be banned?" Those words seemed to have an effect on Gokudera as he instantly went pale and quiet, probably imagining how terrible it would be to not see me.

"Do not worry, Juudaime! I will keep myself in check from now on!!"

"hahaha. Thank you, Gokudera-kun. And will you PLEASE stop calling me that?"

"Call you what, Juudaime?"

"THAT."

"I cannot. For it is my duty to be Juudaime's loyal follower in hard times! Juudaime will always be my only boss!!"

"... I'm not your boss Gokudera-kun. So will you please just call me by my name?"

"Juudaime, you are the hei-"

"Not anymore. So don't call me that please? It's my lifetime wish. Please?" cue the puppy dog eyes... Please fall for it, please fall for it, _please_ fall for it!!!!!

Gokudera-kun grew silent for a couple seconds... and started running, crying in his wake, "I'M SORRY, JUUDAIME~~!!!" and disappeared.

_silence_

"... Well that didn't work out like I'd planned."

Yamamoto laughed. "That was hilarious. Great job Tsuna!!"

I smiled up weakly in return. "I wasn't exactly trying to make him react like that though. I just want him to stop calling me by that heading."

"Right sure, sure, we'll go with that. haha, I'll always remember that scene for the rest of my li- What the? What's the head of the disciplinary committee doing here?" The look on Yamamoto's face flew to surprise as he looked past the railing towards the door to the hospital. My interest piqued as the emotion on his face became more interesting.

"Who are you talking about? Let me see." As Yamamoto moved out of the way, I zeroed in my vision towards the entrance. And was met with the view of a certain scary, blood thirsty, nephew of the dictator. "Wha- He's a disciplinary prefect?!" The shock on my face must've been quite apparent as the athlete beside me decided to explain who and what the fearsome person was.

"Well, his name's Hibari. He goes to the same school as me and Gokudera and is even in the same class, but he's never been there during the lectures. He's the head prefect of disciplinary committee and even has quite a lot of influence over the teachers. haha, I heard he's also really strong so if anyone were to 'disturb the peace of Namimori' he'd instantly beat them to a pulp. Quite the guy, huh?" ... Wow. No wonder I was afraid of him. He's practically a carbon copy of the dictator!!!

"So~, do you know why he's here?"

I snapped out of my musings to face my friend and nodded. "Apparently, he's the nephew of the dicta- err director of the hospital."

"Huh. Go figure." came the reply as the baseball-er turned to the door. "... You might want to hide now, Tsuna."

"Hm? Why?"

"Well, it looks like you've been found ou-"

"MR. SAWADA!! GET YOU ASS DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!! YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!!"

"...Shit" "...Ditto"

"JUUDAIME!!! I'M SO SORRY!!" and an apologetic looking Gokudera crept out of the shadow of Ms. Hasegawa. "It's okay..." I smiled weakly towards the silver head as the wrath-filled nurse latched onto my arm and started dragging me towards my doo- ehem... training.

* * *

_wheeze..._

_wheeze..._

_wheeze..._

Dragging my body behind me, I slowly made my way back towards my room. Today's exercise did nothing to help, once again. All I got was a lecture on "being aware of my physical health" and stuff. My ears were still ringing.

"Ugh... My chest hurts... Why did they make me run 20m today, dammit." Murmuring to myself, I walked through the hallways at an agonizing pace, the throbbing pain doing nothing to ease my discomfort. With drowsiness starting to get to me, I opted to take a nap as soon as I got back and-

_Bump_

"Ow!" I looked up and instantly regretted it.

"What do you think you are doing?" came the inquisition.

Trying to answer, I opened my mouth, only to have my sleepiness and pain overcome me as I fell unconscious...

* * *

_Third POV:_

In the hallway of the East Wing, a black figure picked up the unconscious boy, calmly walked away towards the flight of stairs, and vanished from view...

* * *

By the time I awoke, a dull headache racked against my skull and my vision felt hazy. Trying to get a clearer picture of my surroundings, I sat up, only to be faced with an office room that I've never seen before.

"What the?" Confusion coursed through me as I glanced around the unfamiliar room. A dark desk stood by a window with a chair behind it. The pale walls were lined with black book cases, a coffee table in the middle, and a set of sofas which I was currently sitting on.

Bewilderment getting to me, I couldn't help but stutter in confuzzlement (AN:EPIC word of win!) while trying to understand what I was doing in such a strange, yet normal, room.

"... I see that you're up"

I flinched and turned around to be met with the stoic face of the dictator's nephew. My eyes widened in shock as my brain desperately tried to understand what in the world was going on. While that was going on inside my head, the man approached, staring at me with cold grey eyes.

"Well? What do you say?"

I could only gaze at him stupidly and ask, "... Um... Where am I?"

_THWACK_

"... Incorrect. Try again."

As the wall beside me crumbled from the force of impact of a weird metal stick thingy (AN: Tonfa, duh. lol), my mind raced to comprehend what this man wanted from me. My mind lightbulb flicked.

"Umm... Is it possible that you... umm, helped me when I fainted?" _glare _"Eeek!! I- I'm sorry for making such presumptions!?! Please have merc-"

"Shut up. Your incessant babbling annoys me."

Successfully sealing my mouth shut, the "prefect" moved towards the desk, picked up a Manila folder and emptied out its contents, examining the words.

"Let's see... age 16. Reason for hospitalization: irregular heart activity. Been here for 8+ years... No history in sports, outdoor activity, or any other strenuous work. Has a tendency to wonder off or run from physical testings... Is the only heir to-"

My face paled to rival the shade of the hospital walls. "Whe-WHERE DID YOU GET MY RECORDS FOLDER!?!?!? Give it back! It's semi-private!!" Desperately trying to grab the folder that was out of my reach, I closed in on the fearsome man. That taller smirked in return and withdrew, continuing to read the contents of the file while doing so.

"Please, just give it back. You have no right to look at it!" The prefect looked up and glared, sending me back a couple meters, cowering in fear. "On the contrary, I have every right to look at it, herbivore. I, as you so called it, "helped" you, wouldn't you think I should know about said person?"

I bit my lip as I tried to think up an excuse, only to end up with a blank. Sighing, I conceded defeat. "J-just don't judge me because of the file. Can you please forget about half of the stuff you just read?"

The other grew silent for a few seconds, staring me down as if he were analyzing me. Trying to not back down, I glanced back, my eyes flickering his misty orbs for a second. But the feeling of nostalgia returned, putting me in a state of turmoil once again as the man drew closer, leaving the file on the desk. My head was roughly jerked up as his hand grabbed onto my chin, making me face him head on.

"... Are you sure we have not met?"

His face drew closer to me, silver searching for some sort of sign, and pretty soon, we were centimeters apart with hardly any breathing space. My pulse quickened as my face turned bright red. Trying to be freed of the hold the other held over me, I shuffled back, only to have the wall appear right behind me.

The man continued to gaze at me with a thoughtful look, with no notion of letting me go. My discomfort grew as the time went on, though not daring to move might I anger the keeper. But soon, more than five minutes had passed and my patience was wearing thin.

"Will you please let me go?" _silence_ "I need to return to my room." Raising my arms in an attempt to dislodge the man from my face, I lightly shoved, hoping that the man would get the message. With no such luck, I continued to politely ask him to unhand me, but never recieving an answer.

"Umm... I think that's enough staring. Will you please get OFF?" Without thinking of the consequence, I forcefully pushed the man off of me, successfully unlatching him. Sighing in relief, I turned away, only to trip on the metal stick from earlier (AN: haha. revenge of the tonfa!), balance swaying. Just when I thought I would fall to the ground, a pair of strong arms grabbed hold of me, keeping me upright. Feeling the warmth surrounding me, I looked up, only to be face to face with the man I had just pushed off. Freezing, I didn't know how to respond until I felt the arms holding me tightened. The blushing returned tenfold and I scrabbled to get away.

"I-I'm r-r-really sorry; I've overstayed my welcome; thank you for your help; GOOD BYE!!" Panic overflowing me, I ran out the door, not bothering to look back a the smirking skylark, housing an amused look in his eye...

TBC

* * *

I decided to be lenient and have all these little hints about the whole Juudaime thing, though I think it's kinda obvious. Hn, oh well. I'll blab all about it in the next chapter anyways.

I hope you liked the little scene between Tsuna and Hibari. It was HARD. Considering the fact that I hate using the same words over and over again, I think I spent at least 2 hours **trying** to come up with similes of all kinds. I hope it worked out... I obviously need work on fluff scenes...

...sigh... This is what I get for only writing depressing poetry and factorial essays for the past couple years.... I've lost my bunnies for fluff.... sigh......

So yeah, R&R if you feel like it.

I appreciate all of your comments!!!


	3. A little bit of breathing space

Hellos!

Err... have people ever said to you that one of the hardest chapters to write is chapter 3? Well, I agree with them. I just couldn't get the scene I pictured in my head onto the stupid computer in words!! Thus left me in a bad mood. Didn't help when the server broke down for a couple days, also.....

Ummm.... Yeah.

Again, thanx to the people who reviewed. ^^ You have no idea how those things just charge me up with happiness.

**Disclaimer:** i do not own Reborn! I mean, really, if I did, who knows what I would've done to it.... *evil smirk*

So enjoy!!

* * *

Heart thudding, I stumbled back into my room and crashed onto the white blankets of my bed. Confusion scrambled through my mind as my red face continued to shine brightly and without any form to vent out my frustration towards the feelings within, I buried into my pillow, wishing the embarrassment to leave.

_click_

"There you are Tsuna. You need to take your medications now so sit up will ya?"

The voice of Ms. Hasegawa drifted to my ears and I tried to comply. But seeing as the colouring on my face hadn't dissapeared, I shook my head, indicating that I didn't want to do as she said. "I can't."

"Tsuna, unless your acting like that due to some emergency, I demand that you raise you head NOW."

Shaking my head, I answered, "No. Just leave me alone for a while. I don't wanna take my medicine right now." And burrowed deeper into the poor pillow.

5 seconds later, I was met with a powerful fist to the back of my head.

"OOOWWWWW!!!!!!"

Jumping out of the mess of sheets, I faced the nurse, tears springing into my eyes.

"You didn't have to hit THAT hard!!! Who KNOWS how many brain cells I-"

"Mr. Sawada, I advise you to just _**SHUT UP**_ and take your medications _**NOW**_ before things get _**PAINFULLY**_out of hand." The sickly sweet smile directed in my direction spoke all the words left unsaid by the nurse and pretty soon, my face turned a deathly pale. And soon, I was the victim to a certain witc- umm... nice, gentle lady's wrath...

* * *

**A Week Later**

"JUUDAIME!!!!!"

As the people in the vicinity jumped from the blow to their ears, a gray-haired individual passed through, only to stop in front of me, in a **(1)**dogeza.

"Juudaime! I humbly apologize for not being able to visit in the past couple days! My only excuse is that the end-of-term tests could not be canceled with my power. Next time that such a thing happens, I'll definitely just screw the tests and entertain you here, Juudaime!!"

... _PLEASE DO YOUR TESTS!!!!_

"Ahaha, hey Tsuna. And Gokudera, I told you to stop yelling like that. You've probably scared Tsuna and everyone in the hospital." As the athlete joined in on the conversation, I smiled but the worry of Gokudera-kun slacking of on tests lingered.

"Yamamoto, can you please make sure that Gokudera-kun doesn't miss his tests? I don't want him to fail."

As a nod was given in my direction, the other just gasped.

"Juudaime, I cannot do that!! I will always be here to entertain you!! That is... unless you are saying that... my presence is uneeded..." A gloomy aura soon covered the storm's figure as his expression went from hyper to... depressing.

Panicking, I quickly answered, "N-no, no, it's not that Gokudera-kun. I just want you to have good grades so that you can have a great future!! I know you're smart but you need to pass!!" Hoping that my words cheered him up, I gave the other a pat on the back, while looking back at Yamamoto with a plea evident in my eyes.

"Haha, come on Gokudera, you're troubling Tsuna. I thought you had something you wanted to talk to Tsuna about?"

That seemed to do the trick as the storm instantly jumped to life, clapsed my hands in his, and gave a me a bright look of pure loyalty and cheeriness.

"Yes, Juudaime!! I have a present, of a sort, for you!! I'm sure that you will love it?"

I laughed nervously, anxious at the blinding aura Gokudera-kun was giving off. "Err... Present? It's not even my birthday for at least half a year. What do you mean by present?"

"Juudaime, just think of it as a half-birthday present if you wish! But you simply must accept it!! It will surely do you some good!! You'll love it and I guarantee it!!"

I could only sweat-drop at his words, but the anxiety inside would not subside. The following words that left his mouth did nothing to calm them.

"-I'm going to sneak you out of the hospital for a day, Juudaime!!!"

I froze. _What?_

"It's simple, Juudaime!! I'll stall the nurses, send Ms. Hasegawa somewhere, and Baseball freak will smuggle you out! And after you enjoy your day outside, I can sneak you back in!! We'll have to get a wheelchair though, to make it look like you're only going out for a couple minutes, and leave the thing somewhere hidden. Genius, is it not!?!"

My mind went blank at all the implications my friend made. Go _OUTSIDE_??? The world where people _LIVE_?

... Oh... My... God...

"Tsuna? You alright? You look a bit pale?"

"...I-I'm fine."

"Well, what do you think, Juudaime? You'll follow through with this plan, right?"

"I... I don't know... I'm not so sure about it, Gokudera-kun. I might get caught and then you're visiting rights might be banned."

"No worries, Juudaime. I've got EVERYTHING covered!! Just leave the details to me and enjoy the outside with all you've got!! I can show you all around town!"

"Hey, don't forget about me! Ahaha, come on Tsuna, you deserve a bit of freedom. We'll show you all around town."

"And maybe we can do this again, Juudaime! It will work! Trust me!!"

I bit my lip as I thought about the consequences this act might bring. If I were to be caught, who knows what will happen? I might not be allowed to see... Gokudera-kun... and Yamamoto... ever again.

The fear of losing my two friends scared me. If they were to never come again, then I'll feel so disconnected to the world. I would lose a vital source of happiness from my life.

But thinking about what it would be like to go outside was too overbearing. I mean, outside the hospital? I could finally be outside of the hospital premises!! This may be the only chance I get!!

...Plus the faces the two were giving me were far too... shiny... to say "no" to...

"... Alright. I'll do it."

"YES!! Do not worry, Juudaime! Leave everything to me!!"

"We'll show you what the outside is like 'K, Tsuna?"

The excitement within me bubbled and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. "Yeah, I just hope we don't get caught." And I followed my two friends as the "Plan" was put into action...

* * *

"Wow, who knew that the nurses were so easy to fool. We should have thought this up more earlier huh, Gokudera?"

"It is no doubt the work of Juudaime's ultimate luck!! It is all thanks to you, Juudaime!!"

sweat-drop "Umm... I'm pretty sure it's just cuz the nurses on station were mostly newbies. They don't know the workings of the hospital yet. But if the dictator finds out, they're screwed..."

A pat was given on my shoulder as if to reassure me. "Don't worry about that, Tsuna. Let's just enjoy ourselves for now, alright?"

_Vrrrnnn_

As the automatic doors behind me shut, I couldn't help but gasp.

The view I was met with as I stepped out of the hospital grounds was breath-taking. Streets, cars, people. Things that I've missed out being part of for the past 8 years of my life. The rush of things going by as they left for places important to them, the smell of the fresh nature, the sounds of things I haven't heard in ever, all left me in a state of excitement as thrill flowed through me.

I was out.

Tears sprang to my eyes as happiness overwhelmed me. My legs started moving forward, desperately wanting to be a part of the frenzy, while my heart thudded wildly from the anxiety.

"Th-Thank you." My voice caught in my throat as the joy kept me from leaving my current cloud-nine. "Thank you."

Seeing the evident gratitude on my face, my two accompanists smiled and started leading me away from the looming, white building.

Wiping away me wetness in my eyes with the sweatshirt I borrowed from Gokudera-kun, I let myself be dragged by the enthusiastic Gokudera-kun. "So, where are we going first?"

The two in front of me stopped, letting their eyes fall to the ground, movement faltering. For a few seconds, they grew silent, then looked at one other, confusion on their faces.

"Wait, Gokudera. I thought you had everything planned out? Where are we going?"

"Shut up!! I have it under control!!" the heated reply directed towards the athlete made his fluster obvious. "Err... I know!! Juudaime, where do you want to go first?"

Thinking for a second, a light bulb flashed above my head.

"Umm... Can we go to your school? I want to see where you guys go during the days."

"Of course Juudaime!! Anything you want! Let's go!"

Before I could even say another word, my two friends each grabbed me by the wrist and ran in the direction that I presumed was Namimori High School.

* * *

"So, what do you think Tsuna?"

"As you can see, Juudaime, this is our school. However, it is in a desperate need of remodeling as some of its qualities are not so grand. The educational system is terrible and even if Juudaime were to go to a school, I would never recommend this crappy shit-"

"Oi Tsuna, you all right?"

"Per-_wheeze_-fectly.... fine... _wheeze_... what makes you... _wheeze_... ask that? .... _cough-cough-cough"_

Sitting on the dusty ground while my lungs over-exerted themselves after being dragged for 10 minutes straight, I looked up from my position to see a series of simple buildings surrounding a wide clearing. Trees scattered about said clearing while a few students wondered about.

Staring up in wonder, my mind soon started daydreaming what it would be like to come here everyday to learn about the society. Like a normal person.

A giddiness caught hold of me as I quickly stood up and asked the two beside me if we could go in. Receiving their consensus. I moved towards the doors of the closest building. Entering the structure, I looked back, indicating that I wished to go their classroom.

Room 2-C. "This is our classroom. Well, not for long though, seeing as we'll be seniors by a few weeks from now. I sit by the window and Gokudera sits near the door. Here."

A simple room filled with 25 neatly filed desks governed my view. A chalkboard at the front. Bulletin board at the back. Small things like pencils and eraser bits on the floor. The epitome of school life. Of a normal day for a teenager. Normal.

"Juudaime!! Would you like to-"

"Shhh. Let's leave Tsuna alone for a while."

"What?!?! Wait, let go of me Baseball Freak!! I don't have to list-"

Paying no mind to the energetic duo, my hands traced the frame of the desk in front of me. My gaze drifted, landing on the windows, the paper post-ups, the scribbles and doodles left by students on the walls.

Seating myself at the desk, I looked up at the teachers podium and the board behind it.

_Normal_

I couldn't help but dream, thinking about what it was like to come to school and sit behind a desk while some person lectured you on things you've never known till then. To eat with classmates on the roof during break. Joining in on clubs while friends cheered you on.

_Normal_

To study for tests that seem impossible. To get scolded by teachers for doing something wrong. To explain your thoughts during class discussion while laughing along with everyone else.

_Normal_

To go places on field trips. To get into fights with people who you dislike.

_Normal_

To fall in love.

_Normal_

Pressing my face against the cool wood beneath my fingers, the raw emotions and ideas ran wild inside my head, no way out.

"Normal, huh? That would seem so nice..." My attention wavered as my eyes drifted closed to let my being be bathed by the calm aura that enveloped me.

My ideal life. I could see what it was like.

And that was enough.

_Normal_

_

* * *

_

"Hey, sorry for taking so long Yamamoto, Gokudera-kun."

Outside the building, the pair seemed to be in a conversation before quickly turning to my voice.

"Not at all Juudaime. I would've waited forever if it pleased you!!"

sweat-drop. "Right. Well, I'm satisfied. I think I should get back to the hospital soon."

"What? Oh come on Tsuna, you're being paranoid. No one would have noticed you missing so soon. Besides, Gokudera wants to show you some places around the town."

I shook my head and told them I was happy and tired. That I'd felt content. "You can show me some places on the way back, 'K?"

Nods of understanding passed through them as they realized my gratitude. "All right, but give us a bit more time alright?"

"Don't worry Juudaime, I will get you back into the hospital safe and sound!!"

A smile graced my features as we walked back towards the gates. Yamamoto took the lead as we wondered through groups of people and came to a stop in front of a traditional-looking store with a sign on top reading **(2)**"Takezushi".

"This is my dad's store. I'd originally planned to treat you some sushi, but seeing as you haven't got much time, I'll just treat you a different time, 'K?"

"What are you thinking you Baseball Freak!? There's no way I'm allowing Juudaime to take a bite of your cooking! Who knows what could've been contaminated by your utensils?!?"

"Aww, let up, Gokudera. I'm just offering him free sushi."

"NO!!"

As the quarrel between the two started to attract the attention of passerby's, I panicked, trying to get the storm to stop yelling.

"Umm... I would like to have the sushi?!?!"

The two grew silent as they looked in my direction.

"Aww, thanks Tsuna. I'll bring some the next time I visit then."

"Are you sure? Then please allow me to check his cooking abilities before you eat anything he makes. I will protect you Juudaime!!"

"Ahahaha....." My smile twitched.

Moving on, we continued to walk through the throngs of people. I kept looking around, trying to keep the images inside me forever to hold dearly. I would stare at certain clearing, and preserve the memory to recall in the hospital. Continuing to do so, I didn't realize that I'd lost sight of my friends until it was too late.

And before I knew it, I had ended up in some random ally after staring at a pretty blond girl and her friends chilling out at a large cake store with tens of other people inside.

"....Uhhh..... Guys?"

Nothing but silence echoed as the shadows seemed to loom.

"... Oh no. Don't say that I'm lost?!?!"

Fear grabbed hold of me as I desperately tried to think of which way the duo had went. My feet started to move in one direction as I retraced my steps in what I believed was the right direction.

I was wrong.

"Well, look what we have here. A lost little weakling."

My movement faltered.

"Ha! You're right! Tasty looking one too."

"Think he's got cash?"

"Who knows. But I could really use a stress reliever right now."

3 voices crept up from behind. Fear quickly turned to absolute terror as my frame shook. Oh shit.

"Aww look at him. He's shivering like a pathetic little baby. Well then, let's get the fun starte-"

_WHAM _

_"_Holy Fuckin' SHIT! What the hell did you do to him!?"

_Huh?_

"Shut up. I'll bite you to death."

Oh dear lord, no....

As I turned to look behind me, I was met with the scene of 2 horrified thugs, a guy bleeding on the floor, and a very, _very_, pissed off Hibari Kyouya....

* * *

FINALLY!!!!! I'M DONE!!!!!!

if you people had any idea how much my pinky hurts from pressing 'delete' so much... well, ... you obviously know how annoying it gets when you lose your muse. Grr. Not to mention I've been typing this for the past 3 hours.

So yeah, I hope you like the chapter, it was longer. ^^ I'll try to update more faster next time but I can't make any promises. I'm REALLY busy these days. But maybe if you send me more reviews..... *puppy eyes*

... Okay that was an EPIC FAIL.

**(1)**- A dogeza is a bow. Not just a normal bow, but ones where you get down on your hands and knees and **beg**. You do these to get Food, Forgiveness, Help, etc. You've probably seen these before in manga/Anime/Jap. Drama. And now you know what they are called. ^^

**(2)**- Obviously the name of Yamamoto's dad's sushi restaurant. And yes, it's pronounced TakeZUSHI. not TakeSushi. It's just how japanese works. Don't know why though... so don't ask.

But yeah. R&R if you feel like it.

I'm out.


	4. The past, the present, no future?

I'M SORRRYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!

I know it's been like, 2 1/2 weeks since I last updated. I'm really sorry for that.

I've had 2 concerts, musical rehearsal, voice lessons, Choir, etc etc etc. I'm a music nerd, and I apologize for letting my schedule get in the way of this....

Please don't kill me....

Thanks to all the people who reviewed in the last chapter!! I'll reply to some of them now, I guess.

**H. Veldargone:** Once again, your review just makes me feel happy to the bone. lol I'm glad you liked the school scene. I was trying to come up with something between emotional and angtsy, but I still think it got a bit depressing... (-_-')

**Ihine**: Don't worry, I won't go for another tragedy. As long as I feel like it....

**mankinfan**: Well, thank you for being truthful with me. I appreciate that. I guess it's kinda habitual for me. Unlike Shuujin in Bakuman, I think of the story as a 'name', write a paragraph based on it, then edit it... I've got a freaky mind...

**Lord Akos**: Me? Brave? Well that's a first. People used to just call me insane or mad. Thanx!! The hospital thing was actually inspired by other stories which involved a character being physically weak. One of my favorite childhood manga was like that, though instead, the girl was free... She dies though... T_T

**To everyone else**: Well, you'll just have to read this chapter to see what Hibari will do, now don't we?

So yeah, thanks guys!! I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS!!!! ... Get the message?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Reborn! Wish I did. Then I could make them do all sorts of things...... *insert evil laughter*

And here's chapter 4!!!!!

* * *

..........

I. am. screwed.

Who would've thought that having an innocent little outing(*cough*~jailbreak~*cough*) out of the hospital with some friends would result in: 1. Getting lost 2. Nearly becoming a victim to some thugs 3. Having HIBARI KYOUYA, of all people, find me 4. Being a witness to said thugs getting "bitten to death".

As the last thugs fell to the ground in a dull thud, my mind reeled with confusion. What on earth _was_ Hibari-san doing here? Why did he beat up the thugs? Why is he so strong? What am I supposed to do in this situation?

Did Hibari-san just _**save**_ me?!?!?!?!

"... What is a herbivoire like you doing out of the hospital..."

At the sudden sound of the prefect's voice, I jumped. Glancing up to see the terrifying glare plastered on the taller male's face, I shrank back a couple feet out of fear.

"U-ummm.... I-err-just happened to go for a walk? And got lost? Yeah, that's about it. No problems what-so-ever!!"

_Glare_

"Hiiii!!!! Fine! I snuck out! Happy?!?!"

As the words left my mouth, my eyes widened as my hand automatically slapped my mouth shut. Horror welled inside of me as the thoughts of being caught by the higher ups in the hospital. The punishments. The restrictions. The caging.

"... And here I thought you weren't allowed to leave the hospital... hn."

_Wait, what???_

The prefect turned, walking away while stepping of the thugs for a good measure. The metal rods retracted, returning to god-knows-where, and the horrifying aura from before subsided... a little.

"Eh?"

"Whatever your business was, it had nothing to do with me. I have no reason to speak of this matter."

_Ohhhh....._

As the realization of his words hit me, I couldn't help but feel a little grateful. By him not speaking of my outing, I wouldn't be caught. But to hear this terrifying man speak such words to me, I couldn't help but let the disbelief pass through me as my eyes widened in surprise.

The black clad man started to leave, with no consideration towards the thugs left on the ground. Without thinking the following words left my mouth.

"Thank you."

The man stopped and glanced towards me. "I don't remember doing anything to be thanked for."

My hands twisted as the gaze on me left me uncomfortable. "Well, even though it doesn't seem like it, you did save me in a sense. So I have to thank you, right?" I looked towards the other with uncertainty, expecting some sharp retort or perhaps a spark of fury for saying such a thing.

To my surprise, and delight, the prefect turned away, seemingly bringing the conversation to an end.

"Consider yourself indebted."

Those words somehow brought a smile to my face. _He admitted that he helped me! _That thought kept on coursing through me. Even though this person seemed cold and scary, he had acknowledged the fact that he had saved me. Just thinking about that.... I couldn't help but look at the man in a different light.

While I was musing, the man had already started to go and when I came to, I realized that he was about to leave me behind.

"Wa-wait for me!!"

The annoyance on the other's face was obvious, but considering the fact that I'm still lost, I didn't let it get to me.

"Umm... Can you direct me in the direction of the hospital? I kinda, um... lost my way..."

An exasperated sigh was heard as the prefect turned towards a different direction. Before I could say anything, he sent me a look that I took for as 'follow'.

The seconds that ticked by as I trailed behind the other man was awkward. The atmosphere was heavy and the silence that accompanied it did nothing to soothe my nervousness. Thinking that I should do something to lessen the pressure, I tried to speak up.

"Umm... So Hibari-san. What were you doi-"

_'Midori Tanabiku,_

_Namimori no._

_Dainaku, shounaku_

_Nami ga ii...'_

_Huh?_

Looking towards the source of the sound, I was met with the sight of a small, yellow bird. As it continued its little solo, the fluff ball circled over our heads and came to a stop on...

...the shoulder of the world's greatest delinquent.

Instantly, I had to hold back a small snicker of laughter though I could do nothing about the smile on my face. It was so weird, to see this fearful man in front of me have an adorable bird perched on their being. Who would've thought that Hibari-san has an affinity for those of his name?

(A/N: Skylark=bird. It would be so funny if Hibari san were to be surrounded by all sorts of hibirds. rofl. *shot*)

I continued to stay silent, but the dank atmosphere from before subsided, due to the animal singing in front of me. I couldn't help but be relaxed at hearing the cute tone the bird used to sing those unusual words.

And before I knew it, we were a block away from the white jail house.

"JUUDAIME!!!!!"

Turning to the sound, I was greeted by the sight of my two friends.

"Gokudera-kun!! Yamamoto!!"

"Tsuna!! Are you alright? Sorry for losing sight of you back there. Gokudera's been frantic."

"Juudaime!! I'm so sorry for carelessly letting you get out of my field of vision!! If there is anything that I can do to make up for this irresponsible action, I would do it without complaint. What do you wish for as my punishment Juudaime!?!?!"

I couldn't help but be taken aback by Gokudera-kun's little outburst, but seeing how worried the two were made me feel happy a bit. Call it selfishness but I think that by them worrying over me, I'd felt a bit important. To them, at least.

"It's alright Gokudera-kun. I'm completely fine now so there's no need for a punishment. I was helped by someone else, right Hibari-sa-"

But when I had looked over my shoulder, the black-clad savior of mine and his partner was gone without a trace...

* * *

"SAFE!!"

Skidding to a halt in front of my room, the three of us let out a sigh of relief, thanking whatever was up in the heavens for the fortune of not being caught.

"haa... ha... That... was close."

"Yeah... Who knew the patrols around this place increase after 5?"

"I apoligize Juudaime, I should've known about this and find a way to insure your security!"

I laughed, trying to calm down the aggravated teen. "It's alright. Stop worrying over it, okay? We made it past them. That's what counts. I should be thanking you instead, for taking me outside."

"haha, the pleasure was all ours Tsuna. Too bad we couldn't go to urban areas. There's a bunch of cool stuff around there. We should do this again. We'll make sure we don't lose you again, right Gokudera?"

"YES JUUDAIME!!!"

"Well, we'd better get going now, so we'll see you tomorrow or something, 'K? Laters."

Waving towards the receding backs of my friends, the smile on my face started to fade away. Sighing, I opened the door behind me and walked into my room.

"SAWADA-SAN!!! WHERE IN THE LORDS HAVE YOU BEEN!?!?!?!"

Wincing from the damage done to my eardrums. Ms. Hasegawa stood in front of me, looking frantic and mildly insane. Her uniform was dissheveled and her hair was a mess. And the facial expression adorning her face looked absolutely murderous.

"Do you have ANY idea how LONG I've been LOOKING for YOU?? You should be GRATEFUL that I haven't gone running to the higher ups yet!! So WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SAY FOR YOURSELF!!!"

Ohhh..... shit.

"I'M SORRY!! I'm really, really sorry!! I didn't think that it would trouble you so much if I snuck ou-"

Once again, I cursed myself as a hand slapped onto my mouth. Damn my stupid mouth!!

"Uhhh. No wait, let me rephrase that. I-umm... Was just hanging out with Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto. I didn't do anything that goes against the regulations of the hospital. Nope, none at all!!"

Sadly, the demon like nurse must have caught onto my nervousness and the way I was averting my eyes from her as she quickly strode up to me, grabbed my wrist, and threw me onto the white mattress of my bed. Struggling to sit up, I flailed, not regaining my senses for a couple seconds.

"sigh... I should have known... You know what Tsuna, I'm hurt."

As quickly as the nurse had moved to apprehend me, the look on her face now showed mocked agony.

"Errr- I can explain!! I didn't do anything wro-"

"You could've atleast told ME that you were going to sneek out. Seriously, what do you take me for? A bitchy gossip queen? Gee, thanks a lot Tsuna, now I'm permanently hurt. It just comes to show how people don't like me... I'll just go and waste away... You don't have to mind me....."

The nurse turned and headed for the door whilst dragging her whole being. The gloomy aura surrounding her soon contaminated the whole room and I swear that I'm _this_ close to suffocating off of it.

Panicking to do something about the situation before the depressionite did something dangerous, I rushed over to her.

"Look, Ms. Hasegawa. I'm really sorry. The whole thing was sort of a spur of the moment thing and I was only thinking about whether or not I'll be caught or not, so I kind of... sort of... didn't want to bother you... Please don't hate me."

Silence reigned for a couple seconds. When 2 minutes passed, I sighed, given up, and retreated back to my bed...

Only to be glomped from the back.

"Hiiiiiee!!!"

Jumping up about a half meter, I sprang out of the hold to look at my attacker. A laughin Ms. Hasegawa.

"hahahaha!! I can't believe -hahah- that you fell for -hahah- that!! Oh god -hahaha- my lungs!! -haha- the look on your face!! -Ahahahahahahaa-!!!!!"

Twitching, I pushed the woman off of me. Grabbing hold of a few of my pillows, I launched them at her shaking frame.

"Hey!! Watch it!! Stop it!! You deserved that punishment!! STOP!!!"

Unrelenting I drove her towards the door.

"Who cares!! That was EVIL!! Now leave. Me. ALONE!!"

_SLAM_

Successfully driving out the wicked witch, I sighed, returning to my bed. Lying down, I mentally viewed a replay of the events that had happened today. The school, the classroom, the town...

Hibari saving me.

My mind screeched to a stop at that. _Where did that come from?_

But still, I couldn't help but smile. All in all, today was the best day of my life...

Well, so far at least.

* * *

_Clear blue sky_

_A gentle breeze._

_A wide park with childish attractions dotting the area._

_Crouched on the ground was a young boy, looking no older than 6._

_"You said you know how to play soccer! You lied!!"_

_In a circle, a group of children stood around the boy, glaring down on his form._

_"Mommy says that liars are bad people. And that bad people need to be punished. You're bad people!!"_

_The biggest of the children, the one shouting, kicked the boy and soon, the others joined in, pushing the poor boy around the circle._

_"Yeah, bad people need to be punished!"_

_"You're a liar!"_

_"It's your fault that our ball is gone!!"_

_"Do something about it!!"_

_By the children, a tall fence stood. And beyond the structure, a reb ball lay on the ground, unmoving._

_The young boy looked up, fear and hurt evident on the tear stained face._

_"I'm sorry! I'm not a liar! I do know how to play!!"_

_With those words, the only reply he received was another painful shove._

_"Liar!! Liar!! Liar!! Liar!!"_

_As the chant continued, the poor boy could only look on helplessly, unable to defend himself from the abuse._

_"Liar!! Liar!! Liar!! Liar!!"_

_Squeezing his brown eyes shut and covering his ears with his hands, the boy desperately tried to block out the painful words._

_"Stop! I'm not a liar. I'm not a liar! I'M NOT A LIAR!!"_

_WHAM_

_"Hey! What did you do to him! Did you just hit him? You're also a bad person!!"_

_"Bad person! Bad person!"_

_BAM_

_"Hey! Stop it! Leave me alone! Stop it! MOMMY!!"_

_The children scattered, tears springing to their eyes as they ran from the two figures left standing._

_"..."_

_The abused boy looked up from the ground, surprised at the turn of events._

_The other figure stood still, staring at the backs of the retreating bullies._

_"...Thank you?"_

_The young boy stood up, wincing from the scrapes on his hands and knees. The other, also a boy, gave no indication that he heard the words. Confused, the brunette poked the silent boy, expecting a reaction._

_Getting none, the child pouted. The poking continued for a couple minutes each jab getting more and more aggressive._

_"...You're annoying me..."_

_Finally getting a reaction, the poker smiled._

_"Thank you vewry much. Mama says that if people help you, you have to thank them. You helped me so thank you."_

_Again, no reaction from the taller boy indicated that he'd heard. Instead, he simply started to walk away. Dejected, the brunette looked like he was about to cry, and was about to leave the area to find his mother._

_"... You're welcome"_

_The boy turned back, towards the apathetic face of..._

* * *

BAM

In a heap of twisted blankets and sheets, I struggled to get off of the floor.

"Oww..."

Finally getting back in the bed, I stared out the window besides me.

_What was that dream?_

* * *

I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!

Once again, I'm REALLY sorry for making this so late. I have a million things on my schedule and damn, it was hell.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and won't flame me....... or anything among those lines....

So yeah, R&R.

Till next time.


	5. Where is my yellow bird?

I'M SOOOO SORRRYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After having to deal with my hell of a life (Musical is finally OVER!!!!!!) and going through a minor depression (Let's just say that Japan ain't as great as some of you people might make it out to be sometimes), I am finally available enough to work on this. I am REALLY sorry. I should've at least told you about not writing for a while.

. . . I feel stupid. . .

Anyways, I'll apologize if the chapter isn't as great as the other ones. The first half can even be considered a filler. Well, sort of. It will be refered back to in the future though. Nyeh. You don't have to read it really. It's just something that my imagination came up with after getting a very cute little inspiration-thingy. Yes, thingy. I'm not in the mood to use high school vocabulary. So deal with it.

**Disclaimer**: I DO NOT OWN. I only own this sick plot of a sick Tsuna. XP All worshipping should go to Amano-Sensei. All hail Amano Akira!!

So yeah. . . Please don't hate me for not updating. . .

* * *

For days, the same dream repeated, only for it to stop at the same place, cut off for one reason or another. And every time I woke up, I ended up on the floor. Needless to say, it was an annoying experience.

"TSUUUNAAAA!!!!"

Snapping back to reality, I returned my attention to a certain hyperactive child.

"Tsunaaaa~! Lambo-san wants to play!! Do something to make Lambo-san happy!!"

Smiling at the childish antics of the 5 year old, I picked up a couple of toys lying on the floor of the play area in the children's ward. Trying to amuse him, I started to toss them around noisily, having the cow printed child run after them in delight. Each time the kid had caught one, he'd run back to me and give it back, only to run after the next. I swear, the boy can act like such a puppy sometimes.

"Tsuna-nii!"

Looking around, I found the source of the voice. A boy carrying a book approached me, a look of content expressed on his face.

"Hello Fuuta. You sure seem happy today."

"Yup. I just saw your mother as she was leaving, Tsuna!! She gave me this book!!" Holding out the picture book, I saw that it was a fairy tale. On it, a picture of a boy and a girl holding a cage was shown on the cover. The title read **(1)**'Kiiroi Tori'.

"Can you read it to me? Please, Tsuna-nii?"

Unable to resist 'the look', I settled down on a comfy beanie bag, with the other boy sitting down next to me. Opening the book to it's first page, I started to read.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl named Chiru and Michiru. They were very close siblings and would always play together in the fields or inside their house. They especially loved their grandfather's stories.

One day, their grandfather decided to tell them the story of the yellow birds, birds that bring you happiness and joy. The two children, after listening to the tale that was woven to them, wanted to give the bird as a present to their dear grandfather. But they had no idea how to find the bird. That night, they went to bed, wondering how to find the bird.

But to their surprise, the next morning they woke up to find themselves in a place that they've never seen before. Around them, a bright forest filled their vision. Chiru and Michiru were amazed. They had never seen any place more beautiful and filled with nature. Soon, the two siblings were exploring the forest, following a small road that cut through.

_tweeet tweeet_

Chiru and Michiru looked up. In the bright sky, birds flew about. And not just any bird, but yellow birds.

'Michiru, do you think those birds are the ones that Grandfather was talking about?'

'Maybe. Perhaps we can catch one and give it as a present. What do you say, Nii-san?'

So the two set off, following the singing birds. Soon, they came upon an old woman pulling a cart. The old woman seemed to be having a hard time pushing the cart. The woman soon noticed the two children and asked them.

'Dear children, won't you help me with this cart of mine? I must get it to the river close by. Won't you help me?'

Now, Chiru and Michiru could never say no, especially to such a kind looking person. Being the nice children that they were, they pushed the cart over to a small river, and even helped in filling the woman's barrels with water.

'Thank you for your help, dears. In return, I must give you something. What do you wish for?'

Chiru and Michiru thought. They wanted the bird, but they needed to catch it somehow.

'If I may, ma'am. May we have a cage?' Chiru asked.

In reply, the old lady pulled out a bird cage from her cart. The cage was of a good size, made of golden bars. Light reflected off it, giving it a beautiful glow.

'I have one more thing to offer. Continue down this trail and you shall come across a bright, blue bush. On this bush is a large number of berries, that attract many animals. If you have luck, the berries shall bring the yellow birds to you.'

Surprised, the two children looked towards the old lady, only to see that she had disappeared. She had all but vanished.

Deciding to follow the woman's advice, Chiru and Michiru continued down the road and soon enough, came across a blue bush.

'Shall we pick them, brother?'

'Yes, we can use these to catch the yellow birds.'

The two children set about picking up the berries and put them in the bird cage. Soon enough, all sorts of animals came wondering close by, led by the sweet scent of the fruit. And to their delight, the blue birds had followed.

The two quickly led the birds towards their cage and in a few seconds, the bird ended up right in their cage!

But their happiness was short lived when suddenly, the bird gave a shrill cry and fell limp. Surprised, the two siblings looked closer at the still bird.

It vanished.

Tears started to form in Michiru's eyes and shock passed through her features.

'Brother? Why did the bird go bye bye? Did we do something wrong?'

Chiru, too, was paralyzed by the turn of events.

'But, we only caught it. No, we didn't do anything wrong!! We'll... we'll just have to catch another one, okay?'

So the two tried again. The berries were held out before the cage and soon enough, another bird was caught!

But once again, to Chiru and Michiru's puzzlement, the bird gave a sharp cry and fell, then vanished.

Speechless, the two could not help but gape at this turn of events. Soon, the desperation to catch a caught hold of them and the two started catching the all the birds that approached them. But sadly, every time they closed the cage on a newly trapped bird, it would give the same mournful cry, stop moving, then vanish into thin air.

This continued on and on, and it never ended. Finally, the two children were too tired to continued on, and took a break in the shade of a tree. Drowziness clouded their vision and soon the two were fast asleep.

. . .

When the two woke up, they found themselves, not in the shade of the tree where they had taken rest, but in their very own warm and comfy beds. Puzzled, Chiru and Michiru got up and wandered into the kitchen where the delicious smells of breakfast wafted from.

'Brother? What's going on?' Poor Michiru could only stare in confusion at the interior of their home.

'I don't know. Grandfather!'

To the two's delight, their beloved grandfather came into their view. Running and grasping onto his clothes, they hid their confused but happy faces in his clothes.

'Good Morning to you too.'

As the old man sat down, Chiru and Michiru crawled unto his lap. Trying the control their thoughts, they lied still in their grandfather's arms for a while. That is until they heard a peculiar sound.

tweet

Surprised, the children jumped out of the old man's arms and looked about. There, right next to the window, was a bird cage. And in that cage, was a bird. A yellow bird.

Shocked, Chiru and Michiru could only gape.

'But, but, we never caught a bird! Why is it here?' Chiru stuttered.

Behind them, their grandfather laughed.

'Dears, have you never realized? It has always been there! Do you not see, how you are happy? You have each other, you have your parents, you have your fun and games. Though it may be hard to see, all of us are truly happy.'

With these words said the children's grandfather welcomed Chiru and Michiru back into his arms. The two were smiling brightly.

'You're right Grandfather! I'm sorry for not realizing sooner,' said Michiru.

'We'll always be happy, together!' Chiru added.

And so, Chiru and Michiru lived happily with their mother and father, their beloved grandfather, and the yellow bird that signified their happiness. The End."

"Wow, thank you Tsuna-nii!! I'll keep this book close to me all the time now! Maybe my yellow bird will come soon!!" Sated with the story, Fuuta walked away from me, taking Lambo along with him.

Not that I really noticed though.

My mind couldn't help but mull over what I had just read. 'Happiness? It still exists, right? For me?'

As the same words continued on in my head, I couldn't help but wonder like the younger boy, if my yellow bird of happiness will ever come to me...

* * *

"Tsu-kun! How are you!"

The white door of my room suddenly opened as my energetic mother came strolling in. In her arms was, as always, a couple bags filled with all sorts of things.

"Are you hungry? Oh, what am I saying, of course not, right? It's still early afternoon. Are you comfortable? Are the people here treating you nice?"

Looking at her state of energetic-ness, I could only come to one conclusion.

"... Dad's coming, isn't he?"

My mother covered her mouth in surprise. "How could you tell? Well never mind that, come on, get out of bed, we're going down to the Cafeteria to enjoy some tea. Your father still isn't allowed into the wards." With that said, my mother started to try opening up the wheelchair beside my bed.

Smiling at her pitiful attempts to get the wheelchair to open up correctly, I offered assistance.

"No, it's fine, Tsu-kun. I *pull* can get it *wrench* to... WORK."

_Crash_

Dusting off her hands in a casual manner, Mom looked over her successful (*cough*sad*cough*) handiwork. Thankfully, the wheelchair was still in one piece. . . Lying on the floor in a hazardous state.

Mom smiled back at me. "See? I've been visiting you nearly everyday for all the years you've been here, so of course I can use a wheelchair correctly!"

And I still wonder how someone who's so good at housework, cooking, sewing, etc. etc. etc. . . can be so miserably bad at something even I can do.

Sighing to myself at Mom's youthful antics, I set the contraption upright and lowered myself onto to it, and headed in the direction of the elevator.

"So, what was Dad doing in Italy this time?" I asked without thinking. I knew that I won't get an answer anyways.

"Umm, I believe it was something about -_ahem_- "things that are too boring to have your pretty little self worry about, Nana." I think that's what anata said."

Without meaning to, I couldn't help but feel the expression of exasperation latch itself onto my face as Mom started going into her usual frenzy of "isn't your father just wonderful?" Thankfully, Mom didn't see it and we finally arrived at the cafeteria, where I was instantly bombarded by the presence of a certain blond (Why, oh WHY, is this man BLOND?), energetic man. And mom noticed, too.

"Anata!!"

"Nana!!"

As usual, the two started they "normal" display of affection with Dad boasting about something or other with Mom giggling like little school girl. Needless to say, even though I was aware of it, it still annoys me.

"Hello, Dad. How nice of you to drop by again. And may I inquire, dare I ask, as to what you were doing in Italy?" mustering up the most serious tone of voice and gaze, I stared at my father. . .

Only to be completely blown off by his boisterous laugh of merriment when there's really nothing to be merry of.

"Son! How are you doing, eh? You're not troubling Nana at all, are you? You remember what the consequences are, right? You should've by now. So I do hope you aren't being a bother."

As the older man continued the laugh it off like everything in the world was great, I couldn't help but twitch. Now I remember why I can't stand this old geezer at times.

"Can't you answer my question?" *stare~*

An amused look contented to sit upon Dad's face as he returned the gaze with his own stare. "Well, depends on what you want answered."

_twitch_ "I asked if you wouldn't mind telling me what you were doing in Italy this time. Surely you can answer that, right?"

Again, my father laughed, further annoying me.

"You don't need to worry about me, son. I'm fine!! If you have time to worry about me, you should worry about yourself!"

"I'm not worried about you!! I just want to know what you're doing, going off to Italy all the time!!"

The torturous laughing continued. "No, it's all right, son. I know at your age, it's embarrasing to be close to your parents and all, but it's okay. I understand. You worry about me and that's nothing to be ashamed of!!"

Disbelief at my idiot father's simple-minded-ness, I looked back at Mom, eyes begging for her to knock some sense into him.

My hope was crushed.

"Tsu-kun, you're such a good boy! It's okay, we'll always understand you."

"Nice follow, Nana!"

"Why, thank you, Anata."

And so, the "youthful", lovesick, overdramatic, and increasingly agonizing flirtious banter of my parents continued. . .

While they completely forgot my existance.

* * *

Staring at the tv screen in my room, I didn't notice my father coming in until he was right next to me.

"Huh? Waahhh!"

Crash

. . . I was caught of guard!! Of course I'll react!! It was perfectly normal to jump off the bed and land on the floor!!

. . . Okay, maybe not.

Glaring at my laughing father, I realigned myself on my bed and let out an exasperated sigh. "What do you want?"

Dad faked hurt at those words. "What? Is it wrong for a man to worry about his son and visit him?"

Leveling a pointed stare at him, I replied. "In your case, yes it is. Where's mom?"

The sad expression left Dad's face as the mention of my mother lifted his mood. "Nana is with the young children. She got them some sweets. That's my Nana, always being the kind, wonderful woman she is!" But after saying those words, the ridiculous, love-sick expression on his face gave way to a serious look.

"I need to ask a favor."

Huh? My father, asking _me _to do a favor?!? Well that's a first.

A large yellow envelope suddenly appeared in the blond man's hand. Considering how protective he seemed of it, I could imagine that this envelope had something to do with him being in Italy. My eyes narrowed.

"This has something to do with your job, doesn't it?"

Unrelenting from my cold gaze, Dad set the envelope on to my hands. "Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't."

That annoyed me. "So you're asking me to do something important, but you're not willing to disclose the information about what it is and what you're doing?"

That caused a reaction as Dad seemed to flinch a bit and sighed. "If you really need to know, I'll tell you soon. But at the moment, it's dangerous for you to know, so please wait a while. And in the mean time, hide this from everyone. And when I mean everyone, I mean _EVERYONE_."

And with that, my father turned his heal, and walked out of the room, leaving me confused with the envelope in my hands.

After that, we didn't get to hear from him for months.

* * *

(1) - "Kiiroi Tori" (Yellow bird) is something that I made up, but the origins of the story is from a different fairytale called, "The adventures of Chiru chiru - Michiru; the aoi tori (blue bird) of happiness" It's plot is similar but everything uptil the end it different from my version so I technically did not plagerize the story... The original is a really cute, so if you can find it, I'd suggest you skim it a bit. The original was made into a play, too, BTW.

So yeah. . . Please R&R.

If there's something you're not really agreeing with, please tell me. I need the constructive criticism. . .


	6. Underneath it all, you lie truths

. . .

If any of you feel like strangling me, I totally understand. I'm sorry. My updates just keep on getting slower and slower. I've been trying to keep up with my story but lately I haven't had all the time in the world to myself.

I blame thee finals.

Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. Apologies for it being short.

Reviews make me feel happy and tingly.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Reborn! If I did, the box animals wouldn't have been so. . . Predictable? Yes, I said it. Predictable. To the point of it being pathetically sad. WHY IS HIBARI'S BOX WEAPON STILL A FRIGGIN' PORCUPINE?!?!? CAN'T HE HAVE OTHER ADORABLY CUTE ANIMALS?!?!?!

A few replies to reviews:

**Masuda-san**: I originally thought about making Tsuna a bit more introverted and reserved due to his physical state. But the idea of having a Tsuna that was accepting of his death and already having friends also seemed to work so I just went with that. That way, the void of not having a non-romantic relationship with anyone while others (*cough*youcanfigurethisoutforyourself*cough*) have their own partners will seem more apparent as time passes.

**H. Verldargone**: Actually, I'll give you guys a hint. Iemitsu hasn't come in contact with the Mafia yet. He's handling something similar, but quite different. But yeah, he is participating in _something_. I'm just not gonna tell you guys yet. ^^

**Cielo Negro**: Err... Yeah. I have weird writing habits. That I can't seem to get rid of. I think I've mentioned this before but I tend to think up of chapters as names (basic manga manuscripts), then write it in words, then make it eligible to read. So it always ends up a bit weird. eh hehe... But thank you for pointing out my mistakes. I've gone and fixed all and/or most of them. And no, I appreciate you telling me this. Thanx.

To everyone else: 1827-ish stuff will appear. But it's only really a veeeerrrrrryyyyyy small thingy. So yeah. I do hope you'll still enjoy it though. . .

* * *

After Dad left, I was tempted. Tempted to know what was inside the folder. So, obviously, I tried to open it.

And failed miserably.

The wax emblem on the front seemed to act as a lock and key and wouldn't budge when I tried to peel it off to open up the folder. No matter what I did; picking at it, using my fork to stab it, throw it across the room, step on it, used my teeth... Nothing worked.

So of course, I could do nothing but leave it alone and hidden deep inside the cabinet besides my bed.

Which left me to think about it all the time.

And made me lose sleep.

And made me irritated.

And made me snappish and short-tempered.

Which made me feel guilty and annoyed with myself.

...You get the picture....

Damn you Dad. Keep all the secret stuff to yourself. Yup, sure. Go have fun while I'm left clueless and ignored. Yeah, thanks a lot.

Sighing to myself, I layed down across the cool concrete of the roof of the hospital, trying to find peace as the breeze blew through my hair.

Overhead, the great expanse of the sky stretched across the horizon and I couldn't help but stare at it as my mind short-circuited and went blank from overuse.

My hand, which suddenly held a conscience of its own, reached out as if to grasp onto the clear blue. My outstretched hand made a motion to grab, but all it caught was the thin wisps of wind and air.

The quiet lasted, as I held my arm aloft, mesmerized by the floating clouds above. Everything seemed to be at a standstill, and nothing but the white puffs moved. But the silence was dispelled by the sounds of fluttering.

From the corner of my eye, a sudden flash of yellow passed by and before I knew it, a familiar yellow bird was settling itself onto my hand after it's flight.

I blinked.

The bird blinked.

Sitting up, I stared into the tiny thing's eyes, my head tilting to the right.

The bird also stared back, it's own head tilting left as if to mirror my actions.

Not knowing what to do with the creature sitting on my hand, the following words fell out of my mouth without intention.

"... Hello?"

The bird just stared back. Slightly anxious at the intelligent gaze the fluffy thing was giving me, more words poured out of my mouth.

"Umm... I'm Tsuna. You're the bird that was with Hibari, right?"

Lord, I must be going crazy to think that a bird can understand me. Yup, insane to the max.

"Hibari, Hibari"

My mouth dropped open as the bird continued to stare at me. Disbelieving my ears, I tried to act as if nothing happened, snapping my jaw shut.

"So... What are you doing here? Surely you've got other places to go than to visit this boring place."

The small bird hopped around on my hand and took flight, only to relocate itself onto my head, burrowing into my brown locks. A small laugh escaped my lips as the little guy's feet tickled my scalp.

"Stop that!! It tickles!! If you're going to do something, go take a walk- err- flight. You've got wings!!"

But hearing myself say those words, I couldn't help but be envious. Envious towards the small yellow animal that has freedom.

I sighed. "You're so lucky, you know that? To be able to fly. I bet it's really great. To be high up in the sky...

"It's stupid, isn't it? To be jealous of a bird. There are plenty of other things to be envious at, and I'm jealous of a bird. How pathetic."

Looking up at the distant white clouds again, I couldn't help but wish I was the one with wings.

"... I'm pathetic..."

"hmm... So herbivores actually can understand their own worth."

I jumped, throwing off the bird, forcing it to take flight as a man showed himself.

The terrifyingly fearsome Hibari Kyouya.

Tension filled the air as agitation filled me while the other continued to stare at me, cold eyes bearing a hint of amusement.

"Umm, hello?" A sad excuse of a greeting was given from me.

A glare was returned. "What do you think you're doing in my territory?"

I flinched. "Uhh, territory? I'm sorry, what?"

"This roof is out of bounds to patients, civilians and other herbivores, and thus, owned by the disciplinary committee along side the director's association." The flat tone in his voice made me seem unwanted.

Wanting to excuse myself from his presence, I tried to shuffle towards the door to the stairs, averting my eyes from the gray gaze.

"Tsuna, tsuna."

The yellow bird from earlier descended from the skies after being thrown off earlier, repeating my name over and over.

Amazed, I could only keep my eyes on the fluffy yellow animal, not realizing that the prefect had decided to settle himself unto the cold tiles of the roof, no longer giving me the glare. As the bird landed on my shoulder, it nuzzled my neck, indicating that it wanted me to stay.

Conflicted on what to do, I could only stay there, rooted to the ground as I was torn between leaving and spending time with the adorable (yes, adorable) avian.

Deciding to stay for the fuzzy thing, my but met the ground. Silence reigned again as nothing was said, and the only sounds heard was the gentle breeze and the bustle in the town below.

Even though I was anxious on having to be near the other, I mustered up the courage for one thing.

"Umm, I just realized that I never did get the chance to say something to you. . ."

The prefect's head turned in my direction, grey orbs thinning at my words, yet saying nothing.

"Well, I just wanted to say, um..."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I fully faced the inquiring gaze.

"Thank you."

Sadly, I couldn't bear the staring any longer and I looked away, squirming.

"Umm, I know I'd already thanked you but, if it weren't for you, I would never had made it back here in one piece. I... Guess you could say that you saved my day from being turned into a traumatizing event. So I- I just wanted you to know that, um, I really appreciated the fact that you helped me, and that if there was any way for me to repay you, I'd gladly do it."

Finishing my short speech, I shut my mouth, waiting for some reply. Getting none, I sighed and let the atmosphere continue it's quietness. He probably didn't care. After all who'd want to be thanked and helped by me-

"... That is to be expected, of course."

Startled, I looked up to see that the delinquent had risen and was now towering over me. I was surprised, and confused, at his words. Apparently, he could tell as well telling from the amused look in his eyes.

"Get up."

Without thinking, I obeyed his sharp words. The prefect turned towards the roof of the door, leaving me standing there, not understanding what he wanted.

As he reached the door, irritated eyes glanced back at me, a single command clear. 'Follow, or else'.

Deja vu, was it? That was what I felt as I heeded the command, walking behind the powerful figure through the hospital. Nothing was said, curious glances were ignored, and Hibari-san's presence itself cleared the halls, all which made walking through the wards somewhat uncomfortable for me, who didn't bear any immunity to the stares and the whispers.

Soon, we approached a door, and as I entered, I noticed that it was the same room from before. When I fainted.

The memory from that time rushed through my head and I couldn't help but blush from remembering what had happened. Trying to forget about it, I focused on my surroundings and tried to not let myself be deterred.

As far as I could see, nothing had changed since my last visit. But when I directed my attention to the desk, a huge tower of what appeared to be paperwork loomed. I couldn't help but stare.

"Get to work."

Snapping out of my little zone-out, I looked at the other in puzzlement.

"Huh?"

A section of the paperwork was lifted off the desk and shoved into my arms. Fumbling to not drop any, I barely heard what was said to me.

"Wait, excuse me?!"

Again, irritation flashed the prefect's features. "You're going to repay your debt. Get to work."

Huh? "But, I don't know what to do with these! How do you expect me to hel-"

_BAM_

"Eh? OUCH!"

Losing hand of the paperwork, I fell backwards, my butt making contact with the floor. Rubbing the sore spot on my forehead, I looked to see that something fell into my lap. Picking it up, I realized it was a stamp. A heavy stamp, mind you.

"What th- OWWW!!!"

Again, something made contact with my forehead. Painfully.

"Itaii~"

Inspecting the bump on my head, I pulled back my fingers to see red.

"Eh. . . Eeeeehhhhh!! Blood?! Oh my God, I'm bleedi- Ow!"

For the third time, I was hit in the head.

"It's ink, herbivore."

Regaining my senses, I realized it was ink and the things that were thrown at me, and left me with bruise, was a set of ink and stamp.

Confused, I looked back towards the prefect who was currently sorting through the pile of papers, a similar set of ink and stamp at his hand.

Using what was left of my brain cells, a light bulb went off in my head.

Cautiously, I picked up the scattered sheets of paper and walked up to the delinquent. "Umm. . . Do you want me to stamp these."

In reply, all I got was a glare that made me feel as if I'd stated the obvious. I shrank.

The man sighed in exasperation. "Skim through them. If it involves money, set it aside. But if it's asking for less then 500,000 yen, put it in another pile."

WHAM

As the stamp in his hand descended onto the piece of paper on his desk, Hibari-san's face darkened and with a murderous aura, started going through the tall pile on said desk. Someone obviously didn't like paperwork.

Getting the message, I collected the scattered papers on the floor and sat down on one of the plush black sofas. Settling the paperwork in front of me and placing the ink pad close by, my "debt repayment" started.

And 5 minutes later, I couldn't help but feel pathetic.

Due to lack of a proper education, my mind couldn't even read half of the kanji that was printed onto the paper in small letters. My brain wouldn't take in the words and soon, the paper looked like a mass of black and white to my eyes.

Groaning, I looked up, relieving the tension applied to my retinas. Instead letting them roam the room, I found a coffee maker at the corner of the room that I never noticed before.

Deciding that now was a good time for a bit of caffeine, I approached the machine.

Just as I was about to touch the handle, the voice of the other person in the room called out.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Looking back to see that even though the man's eyes were still glued to the paper he was aware of my actions, I gulped.

"Umm, I just thought that, er, a bit of caffeine might do nicely so I, uh, um... Should I make coffee?"

Once again, no reply was given. Taking that as a no, I retreated back towards the pile of papers, mind reinforcing itself for the task and-

"Milk and 3 sugars."

Huh? After a few seconds, my brain registered the fact that the prefect was talking about the coffee.

"Right away!" Quickly arranging the pot while adding the water and powder, finishing up the whole thing in about 5 minutes. Recalling what the prefect had asked for, I couldn't help but stifle the laughter that tried to escape.

3 sugars? Milk? Don't important people usually ask for black? What's Hibari-san doing asking for a cafe latte?

Confused, I carried a cup of the dark drink along with a small pitcher of milk and the sugar bowl to the large, black desk. Placing it there and quickly turning around, my eyes snuck a glance back.

My eyes widened a bit.

The delinquent/prefect was currently drowning his coffee in the milk and sugar.

Surprised, my foot stopped midair, disbelieving the sight behind me. I mean, it's not everyday where you find out that a scary, powerful, fearsome person happens to be a sweet tooth.

At seeing my frozen state, the man stopped mid sip. A "Is there something you want?" was dished out in annoyance.

Unable to contain it, my face broke out into a smile. "No, nothing."

Returning to the sofa, I contemplated this discovery. Now, sugar is, after all, a god-sent thing. So it's understandable that people would love it. But HIBARI-SAN?

The scene of him dunking the sugar into his cup replayed in my mind and I couldn't help but laugh. It was so childish. It was so unlike the Hibari-san I thought he was. It was so unbelievable, my mind couldn't help but think it was cu-

Hold it. Did I just think that Hibari-san was _CUTE_?

No, I said to myself. I only found his ACTIONS cute. Not him. Nope, nothing of that sort crossed my mind. Nothing at all.

Quickly banishing the thoughts in my head, my hand returned to the stamp. But unable to control myself, I felt my eyes being drawn back to the oppressing figure at the desk. My mouth, again acting on its own, moved without me realizing.

"Do you like sweet things, Hibari-san?"

The man stopped, not a single movement giving him away. The expression on his face was crafted into one of pure apathy. But somewhere in his seemingly cold, grey eyes, I saw a flicker of something. Something I just couldn't place my finger on.

"..."

"..."

Figuring that the question was something that I shouldn't have asked, I slowly shrank back. Bad idea to ask about personal stuff, Tsuna. Bad idea. Did you really expect him to answer?

But still, the continuous lack of reply sort of saddened me for some reason. I couldn't tell why, but it kinda hurt to think that the guy wouldn't answer. Even a scathing remark was welcomed by now.

Sighing, I let my eyes try to read the confusing characters on the files, deciding to just ignore the other for now.

"Do you have something against me having sugar, Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

My eyebrows rose to my hair-line. Sputtering to answer, my words came out in a jumbled mess.

"N-no, of course not! I... I was, um, j-just curious. It was sort of, uh, surprise so... Ihaveabsolutelynothingagainstyoulikingsugar!"

Wary of the what the disciplinary committee chairman would say in return, my shoulders rose and my neck ducked low, wide orbs uncertain of what I should look at.

"...Hn."

Suddenly, a smirk graced the face of the black clad man. Nothing like a smile, but to me, the quirk on his mouth was much more welcome than the usual glare in his eyes.

My body finally relaxed and I finally realized how tense I was for the past few minutes. I couldn't help but feel as if I'd finally understood something that seemed so difficult and confusing. That maybe, Hibari-san isn't the scary, mean person that I'd thought of him as.

Leaning against the black leather, a small smile drifted onto my face, and the atmosphere of the room turned ino one of calm and peace.

* * *

_(Meanwhile, in a place somewhat distanced from Namimori Hospital)_

"Bocchama, your father wishes for you to return. _It_ needs to be decided."

In an old, rundown building, a suit-clad figure stood bowed in front of another man, this one emitting a darkness, who was staring down at the older in a cold, contemptuous manner.

"This is a serious matter, Bocchama. It is adviced that you do as we sa- Gah!"

The suited man fell to his knees, as something sharp and shiny darted into his shoulder. Blood started to seep from the wound as a couple other men, similarly dressed as the injured man, moved forward in a motion to apprehend the other.

They didn't get far as they too, were stopped, but curiously, no damage was done to them. They themselves stopped in wariness as the atmosphere grew more and more tense.

A person popped up beside the dangerous man, a small hand reaching forward to his arm.

"Nii-sama," the feminine, frail voice said, "Perhaps it is better if we listen to them. It might be a good idea to visit Tou-sama again."

The man looked over his shoulder to the girl, as an earie smirk flashed across his shadowed face.

"Of course we will visit him. After all, we haven't seem him in such a long while, haven't we? Very well, I will go with you infernal beings. But one wrong move and I can't guarantee you're life."

The men gathered into the area moved aside, making a path out to a black car. The mysterious siblings baorded it, and soon, the car was headed in the direction of a certain hospital, in a certain town.

The dark figure's smirk grew, and his eyes flashed dangerously in amusement.

"Well then, it seems that the games shall begin, Hibari Kyouya..."

* * *

So. . .

Was it worth the whole wait?

Guess not, huh?

Grr, I seriously need a free-er schedule. grr.

500,000 yen = ~$500 (Kinda obvious, right?)

kanji = characters (again, pretty obvious)

Bocchama = young master (Great, now I feel like Captain Obvious)

You know what, I'm not gonna bother with Nii-sama and Tou-sama. They are way too obvious to bother with.

Anyways, due to the upcoming Term Finals (and me being such a freak over petty things like Grades. I swear, if I don't get an over B+ Average, I'll kill something) I won't update for a while. Sorry. I'll try to have it up as soon as I have the time.

Sorry.

Bye-bii


	7. Reality bursts out into the open

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 months-ish, huh? That went by really fast... or slow... depends on how I look at it, I guess.

I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!

I apologize to all you guys who were probably expecting me to update earlier and are currently very close to murdering me with a spork. Or something sharp... Please don't hurt me!! I'm an "S", not an "M"!!!!

And I know I said in my profile I'll try to update back in August, but that blew up in my face when I was carted from Karuizawa and Tokyo and back in a never ending cycle, unable to get on here and type this thing.

Once again, SORRY!!!

To all of you who reviewed over the summer, thanks for your support and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

So here it is!! Finally!! Chapter 7!!!

* * *

The dreams still haven't stopped.

And what's worse is that I haven't stopped worrying about the folder either.

And my confused thoughts about Hibari-san hadn't ceased either.

So to put it simply, I'm still tired and cranky, and nothing is helping. Seriously, at this rate I'll die of stress, not from heart failure!!

Rounding the corner as I walked through the wards, my thoughts wandered back to Hibari-san. After the little episode from a couple days ago, it felt easier to be around him and I didn't have to be afraid for my being. And Hibari-san wasn't THAT scary so that lessened my worries. But when I started remembering the scene with the coffee, I still couldn't help but think that it was so cu-

HIII!!! Dammit, I'm doing it again!! Why do I always go back to thinking that Hibari-san is… Hibari-san is…!

Grr. Shaking my head violently, I let go of my thoughts as I stepped into my room, opening the door with a bang.

... And was met with the sight of** Yamamoto** kneeling over **Gokudera-kun** on _**my bed**_.

In the middle of. . .

**_. . . Kissing_**_._

Two pairs of shocked eyes returned my own overwhelmed stare and their mouths could only gape as they stopped their, err, activites.

Swallowing, my infamously independent mouth once again spewed out words I wished it never did.

". . . Am I interrupting something?"

That seemed to snap the two guys on my bed out of the trance as they quickly hastened to stand up and straiten themselves out. Immediately, Gokudera-kun was in front of me bowing, repeatedly stating apologies.

"I'm so sorry, Juudaime. It was that baseball idiot's fault. I was trying to mind my own business when that baseball idiot, being the brainless ass he is, pushed me around, and one thing led to another and, and, AND…!-"

A cough broke Gokudera-kun's string of words, and my attention was directed towards the other occupant in the room. The blush adorning his face, though less apparent, was still there.

"Gokudera," Yamamoto started, "I think he gets what happened here. So. . . maybe we should just explain..."

Though I think Yamamoto was trying to calm Gokudera-kun down, the effect it had was of the opposite. A deep red washed over the stormy boy as he started stuttering over his words.

"WHAT!! N-no, th-that can't be! Nothing ha-happened! I..! You...! I...! ... DAMN YOU BASEBALL FREAK!!!" And with that said, Gokudera-kun brushed past me and out of the room in a mere 1.7 seconds, all the while screaming insult after insult directed at Yamamoto.

As the obsenities started to fade away, I directed my gaze at the remaining person in the room, clearly indicating for him to start explaining.

The athlete gave an anxious chuckle as he indicated for me to sit. Complying, I waited patiently for the explanation that was needed while the quiet settled in. And then-...

"Umm, you see," Yamamoto started, clearly a bit self-conscious of his words, "Gokudera and I, well, we have a relationship of sorts. And though I didn't mind if people knew about, Gokudera was hoping to keep it in the dark for as long as possible, though I think he was hoping for forever. . ."

Nodding for him to continue, I let myself stay silent. "The reason that _that_ happened was that we were sort of in an argument and I guess, as Gokudera said earlier, one thing led to another and, well, yeah."

He grinned, though it was a bit strained. "I don't mind if you know about us but I'm not sure if Gokudera is exactly happy about this development. I'm not sure how he's going to handle this. . ."

Taking it all in I sighed. "So, in other words, you and Gokudera-kun are dating, you guys had an argument, it led to the kiss, and now Gokudera-kun might lose it 'cause I'm now in on the secret?"

Being given a nod, I frowned. "So now what's going to happen? I can't exactly leave Gokudera-kun alone, can I? Do you think I can talk to him?"

For a second, Yamamoto looked surprised, but that quickly gave way to a grin. "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to him and I'm sure he'll come around. Plus, now that you know and are okay with it, he'll feel much better, though," suddenly, the athletes eyes gazed at me with a seriousness that I didn't know Yamamoto had in him. "You're okay with us being together, right?"

Understanding where he's coming from, I gave him a smile. "Of course. Why wouldn't I? I think it's great that you two are so close to each other!"

The serene boy gave a sigh of relief. "Well that's good to hear. For a second I'd thought that you might be a homophobe and be grossed out by the fact that we're gay, though technically you could say that I'm Hayato-sexual. So yeah, you're good, right?"

"Yup."

"Great." _smile_

"Yeah, so can I ask one question?"

"You just asked one but sure, go ahead."

"What does 'gay' mean?"

* * *

If I though I had a headache before, I was sorely mistaken.

After the baffled look Yamamoto had given me, I knew I'd asked a stupid question. And when Yamamoto was finished with his kind explanation on what a gay/homosexual was, I was hit with the full understanding of what exactly the nature of their relationship was. Needless to say, it was kind of. . . I dunno. New? Different? Appalling?

Checking back into my thoughts, I thought no, it wasn't appalling or weird to say the least. It's just that it was so. . . sudden that I still couldn't get the whole concept of my two best friend's sexuality. I mean, I've never even heard of the word gay before and though I've heard someone mention homosexuality before, I didn't understand what it meant at the time.

So now that I knew that the two were 'gay', I didn't exactly know how to go about it. I was okay with the two of them and was accepting of the fact that they preferred men over women. But when you learn about how your friends are gay, and that they like people of the same sexual origin as you, you never really know how to deal with it. Yeah, sure, they're still my best friends that are irreplaceable. But how do I treat them now? Do I act like I did before? Or do I treat them in a different way now?

A dull throb at the back of my head replied to my questions, and I groaned in pain and frustration. Here I am, back to wandering the halls again, only this time I have one more problem to think about. Geez, I'll have a huge list at this rate.

Resigning myself to that dreary, yet possible fate, I headed for the rooftops. Thinking that the fresh air may help clear my thoughts, I stepped out into the light of the sun.

Today seemed to be a good day. People were out and about people scuttling around, minding their own business. The June breeze fluttered as kinds of all ages hurried from school, each going their own way to have fun, to cram school, to home.

But today seemed a bit different. For me that is. Seeing all these people live so peacefully, acting as though they've haven't got a single worry in the world, was annoying. Though usually looking into the outside world brought me feelings of tranquility and awe, today it only served to annoy me. Piss me off even.

All my worries then decided to burden me with their weight. Questions plagued my mind. Why am I having the same dream over and over? What exactly my dad doing with his job? Why do I seem to always have Hibari-san at the back of my mind? How am I supposed to behave in front of my 'gay' best friends?

Why can't I leave this prison behind?!?!?

Gripping the fence, my frustration started to get out of hand. Not knowing what else to do, I did one thing I thought would calm me down.

I screamed.

Letting lose my negative energy into the shout of desperation, I slowly knelt on the ground and gazed up at the cloudless sky with its bright sun, both seemingly mocking at my sad state.

I glared, "I hate this."

"Aww, life ain't fun when your like that."

Turning my head towards the open door, a nurse stepped out of it's shadow, a small smile on her face.

I stared, surprised. "Hasegawa-san?"

She grinned. "You really love rooftops, don't you?" walking up to the fence, she looked down. "I'll need to remember that when you try to run from me again."

Scowling, I turned away. "Is there any reason for you to be here?"

The nurse, in turn, made a noise of hurt. "Aww, does Tsuna-chan not wike me? But, but, I thought we were the bestest fweinds in the world. . ."

The fake-ish sobs and childish tone made me cringe as I turned to stare pointedly at her.

She laughed at my attempt of the glare. "Fine, fine. I guess I just wanted some alone time, that's all. I didn't know you were up here, so I was just as surprised as you."

The nurse took a seat next to me, glancing up at the sky. Silence reigned comfortably for a few minutes before the woman decided to speak up.

"So," she asked. "Is there any reason for you being up here?"

"Why should I answer that?" I grumbled.

She slapped my shoulder. "Come on. I gave you my reason, can't you at least tell me yours? Or is it just one of those "guy things" that people never talk about?"

I scowled. "Can't I just go somewhere to enjoy the peace and quiet."

Hasegawa-san grinned in return. "True. But you can't say that this place is peaceful and quiet anymore."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Touche."

Again, it was quiet. Except for the light breathing sounds the woman made, it was quiet. The thoughts jumbled inside my head made it's presence known again after the attention diversion caused by Hasegawa-san. Glancing quickly at the nurse, I noticed something for the first time.

Her eyes were crying.

She wasn't crying tears or anything, but the expression held in her dark chocolate eyes seemed to scream sadness. I was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say. But deciding that talking seemed better than the uncomfortableness that was creeping into the atmosphere, I opened my mouth.

"Umm, is there something wrong?"

My voice seemed to pull the woman out of her stupor, and she turned to me in surprise. A gentle smile settled on her face, though the sadness didn't leave her eyes.

"No, I was just thinking of something long ago."

I shuffled nervously. "Do you want to talk about it? I'll listen."

She seemed to contemplate that as she lowered her gaze to her knees. Giving her the time to think about it, I looked back up to the sky, tracing patterns in the clouds with my gaze.

"What do you know about homosexuality."

That instantly knocked me back to reality and I couldn't help but direct my shocked expression at her clouded face.

"Umm, we-well. I guess I know about it as much as anyone does. Uhh, what does that have to do with what you were thinking about?"

But for a brief moment, disappointment flashed through her features. "Nevermind," she said. "Forget that I said anything."

Frozen, I thought of what to do. I'd obviously hurt her just now, though I didn't know how. Deciding that talking was the only way to go, my mouth moved again.

"Err, if it helps, I'm not homophobic or anything. I just don't know much about it and I don't know how to deal with it. I don't even know how I'm supposed to act around Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun anymore-"

"Wait, your two friends are gay?"

Eyes widening at my mistake, I panicked. "Please don't tell anyone! It's supposed to be a secret! Even I didn't know about it so PLEASE don't tell anyone!!"

At my horrified expression, her face softened. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. And I believe I told you before but I'm not some bitchy gossip queen. Sheesh, what does it take for knowledge to filter through to your brain?"

Undignified, I replied hastily. "Shut up, I don't need to be reminded of the fact that I have the IQ of a rabbit."

She laughed. "Really don't worry about it. I won't tell anyone..." towards the end of the sentence, her voice died out and a sigh escaped her.

Worried at the sudden change of mood, I let it cloud my expression. "Want to talk?"

"... Yes. It would be much appreciated."

The nurse shifted herself to face me and locked me in a serious gaze before opening her mouth to speak.

"My brother was a homosexual."

... Wait, WHAT? My mind reeled as I finally grasped how big of a deal this seemed to the nurse before my mind clicked.

"Wait, '**was** a homosexual'? So, does that mean he's straight now?"

At that question, Hasegawa-san shook her head in reply.

"Then what happened to him?"

Silence. Nothing left her mouth. Just when it seemed she was never going to tell, she told.

"I killed him. Today is his death date."

. . . Oh I see, I get it, so that's what happene- WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? The shock must have been evident as she gave a small, sad smile.

"Well, I guess the official reason was suicide. But if it weren't for me, he'd be alive. I'm the reason he's dead. "

Not knowing how to answer, I motioned for the woman to continue, not wanting to interrupt her.

"My brother and I were very close. We were twins and slightly identical and I was the older one. We loved each other very much. As kids, we were always together, never alone, and adults would always comment on how close we were."

She stopped to let out a sigh, seeming to steel herself for the next segment of the story. "It was in high school that I found out about his sexuality. He came to me, asking for help with something. 'I need help with love' he said. But when he said that, I couldn't help but feel so, so jealous. I couldn't help but think, 'who's the bitch that's stealing my darling brother?'. But I kept the smile on my face when I asked him. About who's the 'lucky girl'. But then what came out of his mouth wasn't what I expected. He said... He said the name of a boy. I remember how my fake smile shattered then and how I'd just stared at him. When I asked him 'are you gay?', he replied with such a small smile, it was miniscule."

"Bu-but," her voice cracked. "I betrayed him. He expected me to be there for him. But the second I saw the smile, I ran out of the living room and onto my bed, locking him out. He banged on my door asking 'what's wrong' and if he did 'something bad'. But I kept him shut out. For the first time in the 17 years together, I kept away. I didn't want to see him at all. All I could think of was how I felt as though _I_ had been betrayed... All the jealousy, all the anger, all the frustration... The so-called love I held for my brother made me see that I couldn't lose him. Not to some guy."

"I thought he was mine. But then I was proved wrong. I wanted him back as mine. I- I became the bitchy gossip queen I never wanted to be. I told everyone, everyone I knew, that he was gay. My friends, my family, everyone. I'd thought that if I did that, he'd see the sense in all of it and go back to being straight, go back to being mine. But even after all that, when I asked him to go back to straight, all he would do was look at me with a small, sad smile, and shake his head. Everyday, we would repeat this process..."

A sob wracked her body as a broken cry escaped the woman. Gone was the normal Hasegawa-san I'd known for so long. The person in front of me was a broken spirit.

"I- I never knew. I didn't know how much pain he was in. Every few days he'd come home with a bruise, a scab, something. He said it was nothing to worry about and I didn't. I just kept the fire of malice burning. Never noticing. Never understanding..."

"... And after 2 months of this, he left me. Without anyone expecting it, he left me. I thought it was a normal night. Another night where I desperately tried to convert my brother back along side my parents. The smile still didn't leave. But one thing was different that night. He came into my room while I was reading and asked me, 'would I be lonely without him'. But I was still angry then, so I just snarled at him that as long as he remained the way he was, I'll never love him.... And then- and then..."

A long, loud breath was taken. "The gunshot rang through the house. At first, I didn't recognize what it was, but when I realized... I rushed to my brother's room and wha- what I f-found was. . .!" The dry heave shook her body and I could tell the nurse was trying her best from falling apart.

"He- he shot himself. The gun in his hand, looking so innocent, was stained red from the blood pooling around him. He used my father's weapon, something that was supposed to protect us if the need arises, but ended up closing the curtain of my dear brother's life. But..."

"I'm the one to blame!" The usually gentle and elegant hand curled into a fist, slamming into the ground with a loud thud. "It was all my fault!"

A single drop fell from her face, though I couldn't see the tears 'cause of her bangs. "If I'd never done what I did, he'd still be alive! He would've been able to live his life to the fullest. To realize his dreams. To be the successful man I know he would've been. But now he's dead and no doubt hated me till the end. And it was all my fault..."

The nurse drew her knees up to her face, wrapping her arms around them. Silent sobs escaped her and I was at a loss at what to do. But seeing as leaving her in this state wouldn't help, I drew up the courage to speak up.

"I... I don't think it was all your fault. You were young. You made a mistake. Your love for him blinded you, yes, but you still loved him. You weren't the one physically hurting him. You weren't even trying to hurt him. You just believed wrongly in the homophobic ideals that surrounded you. You only tried to do what you thought best. It may not have worked out but it doesn't make it your fault. And I don't think your brother hated you at all."

sniff "What do ya mean?"

I gave her a smile that I hoped was reassuring. "If you're brother is as smart as you're implying, I think he knew that you loved him. That you only tried to do what you thought best for him. But he knew that you were also hurting inside. I think that's why he hid the pain he held, 'cause he knew it would only serve to hurt you more. He loved you, too."

The nurse's dark brown head shot up, a parade of emotions flitting across her face. But two remained; confusion and anger. "That can't be true!" She spat, "If he knew I loved him, why did he die? Why did he leave me?! WHY DID HE HAVE TO KI-"

"It's 'cause he LOVED YOU!"

Those words silenced the emotional wreck of a woman. Dark orbs looked shocked at my implications.

A sigh left my lips. "He knew he was hurting you so much. He didn't want to, but he couldn't just change his sexuality. I think he knew that by staying with you, gay, it would only cause you suffering. So he decided that it was the only way to go. It was never your fault. It was your twin's own decision..."

The uncomfortable quiet drifted into the tense atmosphere. A few more sniffs broke out here and there, but all in all, it was quiet. Leaving the woman to settle her thoughts I didn't say anything to interrupt her thought process. After a few minutes, the woman let out a large sigh.

"Thank you."

Surprised, I couldn't help but ask what for.

A smile crept back into her face. "Why, for listening to me of course."

The nurse stood up in a flurry of white and dusted herself off, looking back at me. "You've knocked some sense back into me, I think."

I smiled back. "Nah, I just blurted out what I thought."

A laugh was returned and Hasegawa-san turned towards the door, back facing me. "I'll never be able to repent," she started, "for the sin I'd done."

She directed her head back to me, a gentle expression gracing her features. "But I hope I'll be able to live out my life to the fullest. For Len."

"I hope so, too, Hasegawa-san." I grinned.

A snort left her mouth. "Don't bother calling me that anymore. We've known each other for too long and I just shared with you my life. Just call me Rin from now on, alright?"

"Now," Heels clacked against the floor as the woman made her way to the door, "I need to get back. Even though I feel as though I should've gotten the day off today, the friggin' hag wouldn't let me. So I'll be heading off."

But when she reached the door, she paused. "Oh, and..." a strong gaze was suddenly aimed at my eyes. "Treasure your friends the way I couldn't treasure my brother. No matter what they are, gay or straight, they're still your friends and will be for the rest of your life as long as you love them and accept them. Okay? Please don't make the same mistake I did..."

And with that, the nurse vanished, leaving me to my thoughts.

* * *

The walk back to my room was chaos.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, was running amok, desperately going from one place to the next. The air was tense and everyone was busy doing something or other, and I couldn't help but be reminded of the day the dictator had come to visit. Deciding that, indeed, the hospital director was once again visiting, I moved to hurry back to my room.

WHAM

Shit. Too late.

Once again, the tyrant stood at the double doors, though this time, a line of suited men stood in a row behind him. Curious, I stopped and saw a few people walking out to greet them. In the midst of them, a certain committee member led them, and stopped in front of his uncle.

Even more curious, I snuck closer, trying not to catch the attention of others, for once thankful of my small stature. Hiding behind on of the couches where a group of patients had just ran from, I tried to listen in on the conversation.

"Kyoya, an important matter has risen and we need to have _that_ resolved soon. I'm expecting you to give it your all."

"..."

"You do understand how important this is to the hospital, don't you?"

"..."

"And if this isn't taken care of properly, it will end in a incalculable problem, do you understand?"

"..."

"Answer when I'm talking to you, boy!"

"... hn."

Glancing over the back of the couch, I could see an angered dictator glaring daggers at the prefect who, in turn, was glaring right back. Now I was really curious as to what was going on that led to the two being at such odds against each other.

"My, my. Ever the rebellious one aren't we?"

A third entered the group. A tall man, taller than the other two, with black hair that reminded me of a pineapple, made himself known to the two.

"Mukuro, stay silent. This is a matter between the two of us."

A smirk plastered onto the face of the pineapple-head, making me shiver. For some reason, this guy just freaked me out.

"Why not? I'm involved with this as well. Shouldn't we just get to the point of my visit after you had your pitiful men come get me."

"Mukuro!"

"Nii-sama."

The fourth voice was feminine and behind the creepy man, a girl showed herself. Black hair, large, purple eyes, and a petite figure placed a slender hand on the man's shoulder.

"Nii-sama, don't aggravate him. This is a delicate subject after all. So..." She glanced towards the dictator. "Maybe we should talk about this, umm, somewhere else?"

Not a word was said, but the other three seemed to agree to it, and were soon walking away.

Losing hope that I'll find out what they were talking about, I got up to leave, when I heard it.

"May the war of inheritance begin..."

Quickly turning back to the weird four, I saw an eery sneer on the face of the mysterious person, and I couldn't help but shudder, unable to shake the feeling that something was going to happen...

* * *

. . .

This. Took. FOREVER.

At first, I was completely duped on what to write for the roof scene. I had wanted to incorporate some 8059 to this story so I was trying to find a way how. And when I did, then I had to figure a way for Tsuna-chan to "accept" it. I mean, a normal (okay, not normal, but he's normal enough) guy would be shocked if his best friends turned out to be gay. So I wanted to have him have a heart-to-heart discussion with someone about homosexuality. I was first thinking Hibari, but then it just seemed too awkward, so I opted for a woman. I considered Nana for a while, but I decided to go with my OC, Hasegawa Rin, whose background I could mess with. I hope it came out good. Constructive Criticism is appreciated.

BTW, I based my character Hasegawa Rin and Len off the Kagamine twins, a duo who, like Hatsune Miku, are web idols, in a sense. One of my favorite songs of theirs is a compilation of three songs, each telling the same story from different perspectives: The Daughter of Evil (the people's perspective), The Servant of Evil (Len's perspective), and Regret Message (Rin's thoughts after the first two songs). If you listen/watch these on Youtube, you might see how I got the idea for Rin's past. Like how close the two were and how self-sacrificing Len is. The BL, however, is mine!! ^^

And yes, I stuck in Mukuro. As the bad guy. haha. Chrome is here for the ride as well. ^^ I love Chrome! I'm changing her appearance a bit, though. I'm giving her longer hair. Like what her hair was before her accident, except that she keeps some of it up, so if you look at her from the front, you'll see some of her hair sticking up like our ever lovable pineapple pair. She looked so cute as Nagi!!!!!

So yeah, once again, I apologize for the lateness of this. I'll try to update chapter 8 within a month. Not that much of a difference to some of you perhaps, but I will guarantee that it will be up sooner than this one was.

R&R? Please?

Thanks for reading even after all these months!!

Malicious_Shadows


	8. Unleash the words to set things forth

Konnichiwa...

I'm so sorry! *dogeza

. . . . . 8 months... Is a very long time, I know...

I really am sorry for taking so long... I really don't have any idea why it took me so long to update this. Screw you, school. Screw you, teachers who can't teach.

This is actually my third time writing this chapter. The first one deleted itself back in November. The second one didn't save in March. And this one... It did reach you guys, right?

So FINALLY I have this chapter for you guys! I'm so sorry!

本当に申し訳ありませんでした。実にすいません。

So about this chapter. I'm going to start speeding up the engine. Now that the stage is set, I'm going to start focusing on all the plot points to get "FATE" to start moving. And the stone doesn't stop rolling till it reaches the end. XD

Mild fluff in this chapter. Very, very mild, but also sweet. X3 And Mukuro's an ass for this whole story so sorry to anyone who likes him. =P

**DISCLAIMER:** KHR does not belong to me. It belongs to the almighty Amano-Sensei. I wish I at least owned Enma tho. He's so kyawaii~~~~~~~! 3

So here it is, finally! CHAPTER EIGHT!

* * *

Ever since the arrival of the two pineappled haired siblings, the hospital has been in a whirlwind of chaos.

To people unfamiliar with the workings of a hospital, it might've seemed normal to see the nurses so tense and all the doctors agitated, but I could tell that it was all due to the beginning of something big that no one really knew the details about.

_Let the battle of inheritence begin..._

That's what the man had said, I think. So it probably means that there was going to be some big battle of who gets what, right?

But it could mean that they were going to talk over who's the next head of house. Or maybe whether they can get money. Perhaps they're just playing a twisted game of sorts? Or it could be that they're really going to do something to the hospital, destroy it and in its place, make some huge tower and become this super-awesome-company and become all powerful and take over Namimori, then Japan, and then...

_Woah,_ I berated myself. _Stop it before I let my imagination get out of hand._

But I was just so _curious_. I mean, since no one really knew what was going on, everyone was itching with the need to get even a tiny smidge of information. Even the rumor mill was as good as dead, wiped dry from the lack of, well, anything. The only thing that anyone knew was the name of the two newcomers.

Rokudo Mukuro and Chrome Dokuro.

I know. At first, I thought the names were a joke as well. I mean, what kind of name is Mukuro? And Dokuro for the matter. Seriously, what kind of parent names their children after bones? Isn't that a bit disturbing? Or were the parents mentally ill or something? Or maybe they had a fascination of skulls?

And what's with the different last names? I thought they were related? Didn't the girl call the other "nii-san"? Is it just that they're related but not siblings? Or are they not related at all and the girl just likes to call him "nii-san"? Maybe the guy forced her to call her that? Is he a pervert?

Who ARE they?

Grabbing onto the nearest thing by me, I whacked myself in the head to calm my rampaging thoughts.

WHAM

"Ow! What the-?"

...Why am I holding a brick? In a hospital hallway?

Anyways, UGH! Why are there no answers! Usually, if I wanted to know something, I'd just go to Rin-san but even she doesn't have any answers this time around. Grrr...

_Maybe I should just ask Hibari-san...?_ No, bad idea. Even the nurses who usually slacked off were working their buts off. I can't imagine what the higher ups were going through. Though it could have something to do with paperwork.

Paperwork...

My thoughts drifted back to the day I... "helped"... Hibari-san. A smile snuck onto my face as I kept on reminiscing.

_I hope I can spend time with Hibari-san again._

Humming happily with that in mind, I turned the corner...

* * *

How I got myself into this predicament, I'll never know.

No, really, one minute I'm just taking a walk through the halls, minding my own business and the next, I'm stuck in an office with a guy I barely... scratch that, don't know at all!

I gave a sigh and took a peak at my supposed kidnapper.

Rokudo Mukuro was an... interesting... person. From the way he talks, his attitude, and even the ridiculous, pineapple shaped hair style, there were things about him that set him apart from the rest.

_Kinda like Hibari-san_...

I shook my head furiously at that thought.

_No, Rokudo-san isn't like Hibari-san at all. At least Hibari-san is nice... kinda. And he looks out for me... though that could just be a coincidence._

"So, would you tell me more about yourself, Sawada-kun. Like, how did you come to befriend my cousin?"

Slamming back to reality, I stammered out my reply.

"Uh, umm, no... You see, err, the term 'friends' isn't really correct in our case..."

"Really now," Rokudo-san gave a smile. "Seeing as I've been hearing rumors about how you two get along from the nurses, I'd assumed. Then, if you aren't friends, then what should I call you?"

"Ummm, well..."

Knock, knock

"Rokudo-sama, I've brought the tea you've requested."

As a nurse walked in carrying a tray, I let out a sigh of relief. Seeing as how the other two were distracted, I looked around the room, seeing if there was anything interesting.

Unlike Hibari-san's office which had a nice collection of simple furniture, Rokudo-san's counterpart was rather bare, only housing a desk, two sofas and a coffee table. Other than that, the room was empty.

A cup of tea was set before me by the nurse who, after finishing what she came for, quickly exited out the door. Staring after her, my uncomfortableness became worse. My body was also itching to get out of this room. And away from this stranger.

"So back to our conversation, how did you meet my cousin?"

Once again, Rokudo Mukuro's attention was completely focused on me. Looking down at my sweaty hands, I thought about my answer.

"I met him here, in the hospital. We just happened to run into each other, that's all."

"Hmm, really?"

"Yes, really."

I took a peak at the Rokudo-san's face but after seeing his expression, I decided against it. The polite smile offered to me was creeping me out.

"I'm sorry but... what does Hibari-san's and my relationship have to do with you? Surely you have somethings better to do?"

That earned me a small chuckle. Again, it only served to creep me out. What did this guy want?

"On the contrary, I've been meaning to meet you for a while, Sawada-kun. You see, I've been dying to know what my ever amusing cousin is like. You know, what kind of person is he, how he's doing in school, has he done anything commendable... All those kinds of little things that tell me what Kyoya is like. I just want to know all the things he's been doing. You don't mind telling me, do you?"

"Umm, well that's..."

"Of course you don't mind, right?"

I knew that tone. The kind of edge that a person has in their voice when they want something. And they're willing to threaten anyone to get it.

"I... I don't..."

The fake smile on Rokudo-san's face was overbearing. The pressure it exerted was nauseating and I didn't know what to do.

_I could tell him. I mean, they are family after all. Besides, it's not in my place to interfere with their family matters-..._

_NO_, I berated myself, resolve strengthened. _My friendship with Hibari-san is personal. And this guy is just too creepy for his own good. As for the rest, I don't even know._

Looking up, I stared Mukuro-san straight in the eye.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have anything to say."

For a second, nothing was said. Until Mukuro-san broke it with a shrug.

"Oh well, I sorta expected that anyways."

Sighing in relief, I let myself relax.

"What will it take for you to spill?"

Surprised, I jolted, once again staring Mukuro-san in the eye. The creepy smile was still there.

"You see, I'm in a situation where I need to know things. Things that are important to me in the future. And I'm willing to get that information, not matter what. So here's my first question. How much do you want?"

Shocked, it took my a while to process the words.

"Excuse me? How much what?"

"How much cash do you want?"

The though was revolting. This guy thought I was willing to talk about Hibari-san for money?

"Look, I don't know what you're expecting, but I'm not going to accept."

"Fine then, what else do you want?"

"Nothing!"

This guy was starting to get on my nerves. Did he seriously think I was low enough to fall for something like that?

"..."

"..."

Suddenly, the empty smile on Mukuro-san's face turned cold and sneer-like. His eyes were also cruel and now that I was looking clearly, I saw that one eye was a dark blue while the other was a deep red. And they were laughing. If I thought he was creepy before, I take it back. He's just plain freaky.

"... You actually don't know, do you?"

That hit a bulls-eye.

"Wh-what?"

The tall man stood up, towering over me.

"You have nothing to say because you don't know anything about my cousin. And here I thought you two were friends. Guess I was wrong."

_He's right._

The thought echoed inside me and I couldn't help but freeze.

"But it's such a pity. I finally thought he had a friend, but I must've jumped to conclusions too quickly. I mean, Hibari Kyouya? Making friends? What a laugh."

The pineapple headed man started pacing, all the while observing me with icy eyes. My hands started to shake.

"And now that I think about it, why would he befriend you of all people? If I remember correctly, he detests weaklings with a passion. So there is no possibility of him even considering you as a worthy companion. What was I thinking? Expecting you to know anything about him, I must've been so foolish."

_Stop_

"I'm surprised you were able to survive an encounter with Kyoya though. He's always been bad with people. Or rather, I believe he's socially retarded. Never been good with words. It would be impossible for anyone to like him as he is. Terrible company."

What the...? Why is he ridiculing Hibari-san? He doesn't deserve it.

"I find it hard to believe that people still consider him to be a worthy heir. He can't do anything right. Everything he does ends up as a mess. Always has been Always will be. He's such an idiot."

The jeering laughter that put an edge in the man's voice was grating my nerves. Who was he to say that Hibari-san was like that? It's not even true!

"Another thing about that loser of a cousin, he's too thick headed that he always resorts to violence. Why do I have a cousin like him? You'd expect him to at least have manners of an average human but no. He just has to be so childish too-"

"...-ut up..."

The man stopped mid-rant. "Excuse me? Did you say something?"

"I said... -ut up."

"Speak louder, I can't hear you."

Taking a deep breath, I mustered up my courage. My thoughts were unleashed.

"I said, shut up!"

"I may not know who you exactly and I may not be in any place to say this but you're the worst! Hibari-san is such a nice person and he's always so considerate! He's a much better person than you, that's for sure! I may not know him very well, but I do know him enough to say that he's kind and caring! He might be a bit anti-social and mean, but that's just because he's clumsy with things like that! Inside, he's a great person that I respect!

"And who are you to say that he's a loser and stuff! From what I can tell, you're the jerk here! You're only slandering Hibari-san and I don't see anything in you that says you're a good person if you're belittling others so much!

"So put me down all you want, I don't care! But don't you ever say anything like that about Hibari-san like that in front of me ever again! So Shut Up!"

Silence reigned as neither of us moved, evenly staring at the other. Both of us were surprised at my outburst and I was shellshocked. Only my anger towards the other man kept me from backing down from the staring contest between us.

Rokudo-san moved first. While shock still remained on his face, the cold sneer returned to his face.

"You _like_ him."

If I weren't absolutely shocked before, this made me stop breathing.

_Like...?_

"Wha-, what are you talking about?" Stumbling over my words, a heat flared into my cheeks. Oh god no.

A cold laugh racked through the man's body.

"I knew it! I thought it was weird that someone would defend Kyouya like that but it's because you _like_ him! I can't believe this! Here I thought I'd only invited in a desperate patient. Guess it turned out that that patient was a pathetic fag!"

The cruel harsh laughs stabbed at me. I could only stare down in horror, the heat in my face not dying down.

"Admit it. You _like_ him you pitiful fag!"

_I like Hibari-san...?_

_No! I don't like him like that!_

_But..._

_I'm not gay! It can't be true! It just cant!_

_You should be truthful to yourself..._

The voice echoed in me. The turmoil in my mind slowed to a stop.

_You should know by now how you feel..._

_... That's right. I know._

Gathering all the energy I had left, I stared into the mocking eyes of man.

"You're wrong."

A condescending look sneer stared down on me.

"In denial, I see? Poor Sawada Tsunayoshi. Too blind to see his faults. Too simple minded to-"

"You're wrong. Though it's true I don't like Hibari-san, I'm not blind."

Glaring at the man in front of me who had made my past hour miserable, I let loose my true, heartfelt feelings.

It's time to be truthful to myself.

"I don't like Hibari-san. I lo-"

The door to the office flew off it's hinges with a huge crack. Flying through the air, it hit the tall man in front of me square in the face, sending the pineapple-head spinning through the air as well. Hitting the far wall, both the door and the bast-... loser slumped to the floor.

All in a matter of seconds.

"Wait, what?"

Shocked at what had just happened, I directed my gaze to the door, only to find a very scary looking Hibari-san glaring daggers at the bleeding form. Behind him stood Chrome Dokuro, gazing indifferently over a shoulder.

"Hi-, Hibari-san? What are you-"

Not paying any attention to me, the prefect closed in on Rokudo-san and promptly started beating him up. That's gotta hurt...

"I'm sorry for any inconvenience my brother has caused..."

"Gyaaaaa!"

Jumping in surprise, I looked behind me to see one Chrome Dokuro staring at me with a large, violet eye. Now that I got a closer look at her, she didn't look like her brother at all. While her hair style seemed to copy Rokudo-san's (albeit a lot more feminine), her stature and her face was nothing like the tall, cruel man's. She was petite and apathetic. Over her left eye was an eyepatch. And while her right eye seemed impossibly wide, nothing shone through. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Shying away from my abrupt scream, she gazed at me cautiously. Oops.

"Umm, hi. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. You're Chrome Dokuro-san, right?"

A simple nod was the answer I got.

"I'm apologize on behalf of my brother... I will set him straight on it later..."

"Oh, no it's fine. I don't want to have to trouble you. So umm, yeah. Nice to meet you."

Nervously raising a hand for her to shake, I gave a small smile. It didn't seem convincing though and the hand was ignored.

"... Nice to meet you, too, Sawada-san..."

Suddenly, the girl swerved her attention towards the other occupants of the room and called out.

"... Kyouya-niisama, I think that's enough..."

The tonfas in Hibari-san's hands paused. She'd caught his attention.

"I will handle it from here and make sure he gets what he deserves... And if you continue, I don't think Oji-sama will be happy to know you killed him..."

As if agreeing with her words, the prefect put away his weapons and turned to the door. On the way, a strong hand grasped my wrist and next thing I knew, I was being dragged out to the hallway. Nodding a farewell to the girl left behind, I allowed the delinquent to pull me as he pleased.

When we stopped, we were in front of Hibari-san's office, which was quite far away from where we just were. The setting sun poured in through the windows and bathed the hallway in a soft light. I glanced at the other presence, expecting something but nothing happened.

"Hibari-san...?"

A flurry of black moved and next thing I knew, I was enveloped in two strong arms, my face pushed against a smooth, white uniform. It took a couple seconds to process what just happened, and then I got it.

My face flushed bright crimson.

"... Did he do anything to you?"

A soft whisper blew past my ear, causing me to shiver. I answered back.

"I-I'm fine. He didn't do anything to me."

The arms around me tightened, burrowing me further into the prefect's warm body. Thankfully, this way my face wasn't in view so no one would realize how deeply shaded it was.

Soft breaths continued to breeze past my ear but rather than tickling me, it made me feel safe and protected. It was a nice feeling.

"... Don't ever go near him, ever again."

My face made a small smile. For some reason, I was just so happy.

"... Okay..."

And there we stayed. No one came through that hallway so we weren't interrupted. Only time passed as the sun continued to set...

* * *

Snuggling into my covers, I recaptured the day. But as my thoughts slowly drifted towards a certain delinquent, I dove my head under the pillow in embarrassment.

_"I don't like Hibari-san."_

_That's right... I don't just like him. I had to be truthful._

I was in love with Hibari Kyouya.

_

* * *

_So...

Does this satisfy you guys even a bit? I hope so.

Chrome? I love her so much. But the fact she's a bit of a pushover irks me a bit so I shaped her up a bit. Gave her he guts she needs. So while she is docile and quiet and oh-so kawaii, she will have her own mind and isn't afraid to go against Mukuro. She loves her dear brother, yes, but she's a tough chick. Mukuro's the one who has to make sure he doesn't anger her. lol ^^ I've also tweaked her physical appearance as well. She has medium length hair, but some of it is pinned up to be pine-appled.

R&R! PLEASE! I NEED IT!

And Thank you to all those who are still reading this even after I've been such a terrible author. I love you guys to bits!

Till next time!


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